Prince Charles crossing the Niger River

A castle or mosque, who knows close to the Niger River.

April 25, 2018. Revised Nov 14, 2018.

I started taking canoe to cross the river when I was repeating the English first year around 2006. I recalled taking the small bus named Aiga to go at the big market and walk on foot the around 2 miles that separate the big market and the university.

That was after the old motorcycle that was given to me to reduce my fighting determination to be free, broke down. I fought with all my being to have the baccalaureate the diploma of the end of high school studies. My plan was simple having scholarship for going either at home or in another country close to it. The council did everything to prevent Prince Charles having this scholarship. Among the strategies it use was giving the prince an old motorcycle to go at the Abdou Mounouni University of Niamey for studying. At the beginning I refused to study in Niger before seeing the solution was not surely to stop studying, but continue fighting.

Prince Charles close to the cyber gate in 2015.

That is how I started going at the university on the motorcycle which regularly breaks down on the way as old. Worst I did not have money to buy oil. The council which at the beginning through the jailer Oscar gives me few coins to buy oil after endless minutes of discussion, stops giving it to me. Do not lose of sight that the council is against the prince not only being free with, but also to have a diploma that through the work it would allow him to have the mean to be free. Thus when he was repeating the first year of English department that the council made him repeated, Charles started taking the students' buses for going at the university.

Prince Charles in the Cyber of Campus Numerique in 2010.

Guy Favre Albert, my friend who did Psychology in FLESH who shows me the cyber, the first time in 2010.

In the fresh morning I walk on the bridge that link the Niger River to the university. The afternoon I went back in the jail by taking a canoe to cross the river and landed on Kombo. From there I walk on foot to go to the big market for taking an Aiga for Airport. I continue doing that regularly from 2006 up to 2008, where I started taking the bus of which I became the delegate. Still sometimes I took the canoe.

Prince Charles close to the gate of the cyber in 2010

It goes without saying that time, Prince Charles was in deep depression and anxiety after the council arrived to prevent him getting the scholarship for being free, and succeeded preventing him passing MP and the English Department he registered in 2005. Crossing the river relaxes me in having me thinking home, London. So, every afternoon I took the canoe to cross the river I have the impression of being home, I have the impression of seeing my father and mother and relatives. The sight of the water made me forgot all those problems relevant to my freedom desire of freedom. In addition, it motivated me to fight for passing the class and being free. Sometimes, at the beach I spent a little time to drink alcohol: my favorite beer is gin. Before, my imprisonment, I drank Debonne. I like it dry and hot in a white glass.

Crossing the bridge is the magic moment of the day, the moment I see the water of the river, and thinking about my relatives.

Naturally, before going in Accra in 2014 for taking an aircraft to home, I decided to do this journey for the last time by the end of May 2014. I invited my friend cameraman Seyni to film me.

On April 22, 2010 with two of my friends Guy Favre and Song, we did that journey. I remembered, I was then making research in the Campus Numerique on that Thursday afternoon, when my friend Song, a British contractor visited me in the cyber of Campus Numerique. The afternoon with Guy and him, we decided to cross the river to leave the River Droit in canoe. At the river side, we stopped with Guy we took few sips of Whiskey, took some pictures, there close to the river with Guy's camera. Useless to say as you can see that his camera took angelic beautiful picture. The lenses of the camera were less distorted and blackened, reason why somehow my whiteness appeared, and my face was less distorted. They were the most succeed pictures of my political prisoner's life. The prettiness of those pictures inspires me to do the same journey. The only major difference with the pictures of me in 2010 is that because I did not drink alcohol I appeared tense. Whereas in 2014 pictures I was relaxed and serein. It was magic.

Prince Charles on April 22, 2010 at the Niger River beach with his friends Guy and Song. We just found this kind of castle close to the beach and we decided to take a picture close to it. Guy left and Song.

Prince Charles close to the river.

Prince Charles with the water of the river behind him.

Here I am in the same canoe. Do not be please mislead by the young and kind of popular Hip Pop dressing, it is just a dress.

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