Even though the Areva hostages had just been kidnapped in Niger, I decided with my companions Thérèse Oudot and Alexandre Camp not to give up on the long-planned road trip from France to Benin via the Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina. A great adventure full of surprises and discoveries. It is Alexandre Camp – owner of the Camp Plumbing-Heating Company, a great car and motorcycle enthusiast in front of the eternal – who must drive our 4 X 4 to Cotonou via Spain (Barcelona), the Morocco (Tangier, Moulay-Bouslham, Rabat, El Jedida, Tiznit, Dakhla), Mauritania (Nouakchott, Kiffa, Ayoûn el Atroûs), Mali (Nioro du Sahel, Bamako, Sikasso), Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouagadougou, Fada N'Gourma) and Benin (Porga, Tanguiéta, Hotel Bourgogne Natitingou, Cotonou).a N'Gourma) and Benin (Porga, Tanguiéta, Hotel Bourgogne Natitingou, Cotonou).
September 29, 2010. Barcelona is in full trade union demonstrations as in France when I arrive in this city which one qualifies as unique in Catalonia. After a long bypass by the peripheral road, the port is offered to my eyes with a myriad of boats in the harbor or at the quay.
Since we have to wait until 10 a.m. the next day to board the Majestic of the Grandi Navi Veloci for Tangier in Morocco, I allow myself a city tour with my traveling companions. Passing by Les Drassanes, a monument in honor of the Catalan navy of the Middle Ages to come across the monument just opposite, that of the world famous Christopher Columbus. Designed by Gaieta Buïgas in 1886 after the hero of the world navy was welcomed by the Catholic Monarchs in Barcelona on his return from his first voyage to the New World in 1493. It is composed of the statue of the Admiral fixed on top of a 50 meter metal column.
In good weather, the waterfront is packed with people. Lots of English and French tourists. But also, many Spaniards who take advantage of the strike day for a picnic at the beach. From there, it is possible to contemplate the comings and goings of the cable car. Which overlooks the basin and leads to its twin tower, the Sant Jaume tower, and from there to Miramar, a belvedere located 80 meters high on the sides of the Montjuïc hill.
Failing to be able to take the cable car, because there is a long queue of tourists, I am satisfied with a discovery of the seafront on foot, where the famous "golondrinas" (species of riverboats) keep slipping on the water.
September 30. 7:00 a.m.: I thought we would be the first in line for boarding at the port of Barcelona. Error. As this beautiful Natemba proverb puts it so well (an ethnic group from the mountains of north-west Benin who led the resistance to the French conquest for three years (1914-1917), "one should never cry out to be the first up, because you risk being upset by someone else who hasn't slept a wink at all until daybreak".
Many other travelers were already there before us. The Spanish "Guardia Civil" took care, with the mastery of a conductor, of directing vehicles and motorcycles of all brands, of all ages and of various loads to the appropriate queues.
Before boarding the Majestic of the Grandi Navi Veloci, I was especially struck by this kind of atmosphere of reunion which reigned between people who before this crossing of the sea knew neither Adam nor Eve. People who in other places and circumstances would have passed each other without even greeting each other, were chatting as if they had known each other for a long time.
Unlike my two companions, Thérèse Oudot and Alex Camp who are French – and therefore do not need a visa for Morocco – my passport was turned and returned by the Moroccan police. There weren't many black people traveling, and I understand the check was worth it. Especially when you know that many young Africans take disproportionate risks to reach Europe via Morocco. Let's move on.
Finally, I have an old dream that I could not realize in Bordeaux. A cruise. On the deck of the boat and elsewhere, there are obviously many Moroccans returning to the country. European tourists too. But few Black Africans: a Malian, five Senegalese and myself, when I count.
Hamidou, the Malian, a painter in Toulouse, tells me that “Europe is now a hassle. This is my first car trip to Bamako. I put things in there that I will resell in the country. And if this first test is positive, I would make other trips. Like what, those who jump into the water in the hope of a hypothetical Eldorado in Europe will eventually understand that, "as you make your bed, you sleep there". To use a beautiful adage.
I spent a few hours contemplating the sea and chatting with some French people on board. 24 hour crossing to arrive in Tangier via the Strait of Gibraltar. With my companions, we spend most of the time studying our maps. After the police formalities.
By Marcus Boni Teiga
