In the movie the Story of Souleymane, everything mixes: reality and fiction. The main figure of the casting, Abou Sangaré, plays the role of Souleymane, an undocumented Guinean. Like him in real life. The film was a hit. Presented at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Souleymane’s Story received the “Un certain regard” jury prize. Abou Sangaré, 23, won the male performance prize in the same section.
A huge success for a guy who was never interested in cinema. He showed up to the casting without believing it. He was looking for a job. He didn’t expect this spotlight. Abou Sangaré, who made the rounds in the media, spoke about both: his role and his life. He himself was faced with three refusals of regularization. A life of hardship. The fourth was the right one. The heavy goods vehicle mechanic (he is qualified) has just received a residence permit. “The prefect of the Somme issued him an employee residence permit (Wednesday) morning, valid for one year,” welcomed his lawyer, Claire Perinaud.
His interview at the time of the film’s release in theaters
Abou Sangaré lives in Amiens. He landed in Picardy almost by chance. One evening, in Paris, a guy in a café advised him to flee the capital to avoid police checks. At the Gare du Nord, he followed travelers who were boarding a train for Amiens. “I have been rejected several times by the French administration, but on the side of the population, of the people there, it is the opposite. I am amazed by all these volunteers in the associations, the teachers in the two high schools where I was enrolled, the business owners, the work colleagues, everyone has always tried to help me, he said to Libé in October. Do you realize that I didn’t speak French when I arrived in Amiens? I had never even been to school in Guinea.”
Abou Sangaré on the phone.
“Are you relieved?
– Yes. This is good news.
— Did you announce the good news to your family in Guinea?
— No, I don’t like talking too much about myself and my life. They will surely learn the news on the networks.
— Are you going to launch a career in cinema?
– No. There may be offers but I’m a mechanic, that’s my job. I’m looking forward to being able to work in the garage.”
“My body and my head”
He doesn’t really know what to say. Abou Sangaré, who arrived in France in 2017, after crossing the Sahara and the Mediterranean, often speaks of «destin» to put words on its trajectory. What more can I say? Abou Sangaré drops this sentence as he hangs up: “I didn’t think I would be regularized in France, I no longer believed in it. My body has been here for eight years but my head was far away, it was in Guinea because I had no right to stay here. Now, with this regularization, my body and my head are here. I’m relieved.”
Source: www.liberation.fr
