School is not always this special place where each child is happy and fulfilled, this young Guinean in image is quite simply an exception. Very early, he realizes his dream and sets to work to realize it.
We will call him Loumpou, because that is the name I heard his master and his teammates call him. Attracted by his way of being, acting and carrying out orders, I approach him and start chatting with him. Just after a few minutes and having noticed his young age I ask him why he is not at school like all the other children his age. He answers me by making me understand that indeed he is enrolled in school like his peers but that unlike the latter, for him, school is only a place of suffering, a source of frustration. which only highlights its weaknesses rather than its strengths.
An ambitious around the fire
At the same time, he decided to come and learn the trade of blacksmith and plastic recycler. Here, of all the apprentices, he seems to be the most serious and ambitious. While the others are busy making jokes, he stays around the fire, forging with passion and determination. Eyes glued to the blushing metal, he hammers with force and precision, creating shapes that seem to appear out of nowhere.
For him, blacksmithing is more than just a hobby, it’s a passion, a reason to live. And yet, despite this talent and ambition, he is often misunderstood. But despite everything, he continues to forge, to create, to dream. Because it is certain that his passion will one day end up guiding him towards a radiant future, where his talents will be recognized at their true value. And around the fire, surrounded by his tools and his overflowing creativity, he feels free, happy, at peace with himself and with the world around him.
Like Loumpou, there are many children who dream of anything other than going to French school. They dream of learning special trades, which for them are passions. Faced with these children, I urge parents to help them, accompany them and follow them so that they may be good examples and even role models.