Mamoudou Gassama
{{short description|Malian hero}}
{{Expand French|topic=bio|Mamoudou Gassama|date=January 2019}}
{{for|the Spanish handball player|Mamadou Gassama (handballer)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mamoudou Gassama
| image =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1996}}
| birth_place = Mali
| death_date =
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| nationality = Malian-French citizen
| other_names = {{plainlist|
- Real life Superhero
- Real life Spiderman
- The Malian-French Hero{{cite news|last=Sage|first=Adam|title='Spiderman' rescues boy, 4, from balcony|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/france-spiderman-mamadou-gassama-rescues-boy-4-from-balcony-dp3l3dfq2|date=28 May 2018|work=The Times}}
- "Spider-Man" of Paris{{cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/28/spider-man-of-paris-to-get-french-citizenship-after-rescuing-child |title='Spider-Man' of Paris to get French citizenship after child rescue |first=Kim |last=Willsher |date=2018-05-28}}
- Black Spiderman}}
| occupation = Firefighter{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Rachael |date=2018-07-02 |title=France's 'Spider-Man' begins job in Paris fire brigade |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2018/07/02/france-s-spider-man-begins-job-in-paris-fire-brigade-the-cube|work=euronews |department=TheCube |lang=en}}
| years_active =
| known_for = Rescuing a four-year-old boy who was hanging from highest level of building balcony{{cite news|last1=Breeden|first1=Aurelien|last2=Cowell|first2=Alan|title='Spider-Man,' a Migrant in Paris, Scales Building to Save a Child|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/world/europe/paris-migrant-hero-spiderman.html|date=28 May 2018|work=The New York Times}}
{{small|(recorded with digital proof - camera - uploaded via YouTube)}}
| notable_works =
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Mamoudou Gassama (born 1996, also known as Spider-Man of Paris) is a Malian-French citizen, living in France who, on 26 May 2018, climbed four stories on the exterior of a block of flats in the 18th arrondissement of Paris ({{lang|fr|51 rue Marx-Dormoy}}) in 30 seconds to save a four-year-old boy who was hanging from a balcony.{{cite news|last1=Breeden|first1=Aurelien|last2=Cowell|first2=Alan|title='Spider-Man,' a Migrant in Paris, Scales Building to Save a Child|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/world/europe/paris-migrant-hero-spiderman.html|date=28 May 2018|work=The New York Times}} The child’s father had apparently left the boy unattended to go shopping, and was subsequently charged with leaving his son unsupervised.{{cite news |work=Le Parisien |url=http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/paris-il-escalade-un-immeuble-pour-sauver-in-extremis-un-enfant-suspendu-dans-le-vide-27-05-2018-7738266.php|title=Paris: Il escalade un immeuble pour sauver in extremis un enfant suspendu dans le vide |lang=fr |first=Céline |last=Carez |agency=AC |date=2018-05-27}}
Aftermath
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo called Gassama "Spider-Man of the 18th" in reference to the city’s 18th arrondissement (district) where the rescue took place.{{cite news|last1=Mazza|first1=Ed|title=Real-Life Spider-Man Scrambles Up Building To Save A Dangling Child |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/real-life-spider-man-rescue_us_5b0b5e1ce4b0802d69cc702e |access-date=28 May 2018|website=Huffington Post |date=2018-05-28}}{{cite news|last1=Nash|first1=Konstan|title="SPIDERMAN" SAVED A BABY IN PARIS, CLIMBING FOR 30 SECONDS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR|url=https://bobrtimes.com/spiderman-saved-a-baby-in-paris-climbing-for-30-seconds-on-the-fourth-floor-video/52372/|access-date=28 May 2018|work=Bobr Times}} On 28 May 2018, President Emmanuel Macron met Gassama at the Élysée Palace to thank him personally. He was awarded the Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement and offered a role in the fire service which he subsequently took up.{{cite news |first=Roland |last=Hughes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46538253|title=The Spiderman of Paris: What happened next?|work=BBC News |date=24 December 2018}} At the instigation of President Macron, Gassama was made a French citizen in September 2018.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45507663|title=Mamoudou Gassama: Mali 'Spiderman' becomes French citizen|work=BBC News|date=13 September 2018 |last=}}{{cite web |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/faits-divers/direct-mamoudou-gassama-le-jeune-malien-sans-papiers-qui-a-sauve-un-enfant-a-paris-attendu-a-l-elysee-par-emmanuel-macron_2773884.html|title=DIRECT. Enfant sauvé d'une chute à Paris : Mamoudou Gassama recevra son titre de séjour dès mardi|date=28 May 2018|access-date=28 May 2018|lang=fr|first1=Benoît |last1=Zagdoun |first2=Louis |last2=San |first3=Vincent |last3=Daniel}}{{cite news |url=http://www.journaldequebec.com/2018/05/28/le-malien-qui-a-sauve-un-enfant-va-etre-naturalise-francais-1 |title=France: un sans-papiers malien qui a sauvé un enfant sera naturalisé français |agency=AFP |date=2018-05-28 |work=Le Journal de Québec |lang=fr}}
Personal life
Gassama was born in Mali. He travelled to Europe via Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya, where he was arrested and beaten. He crossed the Mediterranean and obtained papers to stay legally in Italy, but travelled to France in September 2017 to join his elder brother.{{Cite news |last1=Corbet |first1=Sylvie |last2=Ganley |first2=Elaine |date=28 May 2018 |title=France: Macron rewards migrant hero who saved dangling child |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/paris-migrant-hero-saved-dangling-child-meet-macron-55483048 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529155001/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/paris-migrant-hero-saved-dangling-child-meet-macron-55483048 |archive-date=2018-05-29 |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press}} News reports emphasized the similarity between Gassama and Lassana Bathily, a Muslim immigrant from Mali who was hailed as a hero in France and offered citizenship for his bravery in the Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege of 2015. On 24 June 2018 Gassama received the BET Humanitarian Award in Los Angeles.{{Cite news |last= |date=2018-06-25 |title=Mamoudou Gassama a été récompensé aux BET Awards |url=https://www.20minutes.fr/arts-stars/culture/2295007-20180623-mamoudou-gassama-recompense-bet-awards-aussi-booba-niska |access-date=2024-06-10 |work=www.20minutes.fr |language=fr}} {{Cite news |last=Clair |first=Benoît |date=2018-06-25 |editor-last=David |editor-first=Romain |title=À Los Angeles, Mamoudou Gassama reçoit un award pour son acte d'héroïsme |url=https://www.europe1.fr/international/a-los-angeles-mamoudou-gassama-recoit-un-award-pour-son-acte-dheroisme-3692558 |work=Europe 1 |lang=fr}}{{Cite news |last=Guyonnet |first=Paul |date=2018-06-25 |title=Aux BET Awards, Mamoudou Gassama a été récompensé pour son héroïsme |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/actualites/article/aux-bet-awards-mamoudou-gassama-a-ete-recompense-pour-son-heroisme_125981.html |access-date=2024-06-10 |work=Le HuffPost |language=fr}}
As of July 2018, Gassama was working as a firefighter in the Paris fire brigade. However, he was not able to continue his experience within the Paris fire brigade, having not obtained the college certificate and suffering from a pathology incompatible with the profession of firefighter.{{cite news |first=Elsa |last=Marnette |title=Seine-Saint-Denis : le rêve déchu de Mamoudou Gassama, sauveteur d'enfant érigé en héros national |work=Le Parisien |date=2021-08-15 |lang=fr |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/seine-saint-denis-93/montreuil-93100/seine-saint-denis-le-reve-dechu-de-mamoudou-gassama-sauveteur-denfant-erige-en-heros-national-15-08-2021-3C2L7NCVZNDUFNBTJYHSB44O5E.php}}{{cite news |title=France : Les dessous de l'exclusion du « pompier » Mamadou Gassama |work=Afrique sur 7 |date=2021-08-17 |lang=fr |url=https://www.afrique-sur7.ci/480708-exclusion-pompier-mamadou-gassama |last=}}
In 2021, three years after the rescue that made him famous, Mamoudou Gassama alternated between unemployment and precarious work, particularly in households. Considering himself poorly surrounded, he was unable to carry out several projects close to his heart—making a film, writing a book, and founding an association raising awareness among young Malians of the dangers of migration via the Mediterranean.
{{as of |2023|12}}, married and father of two children, he believed that his life had become "quiet". He was then a security guard and had a series of fixed-term contracts.{{cite news |first=Manon |last=Mella |title='Ce bébé a changé ma vie' : on a retrouvé Mamoudou Gassama, le sans-papiers qui avait sauvé un enfant en 2018 |work=France Inter |date=2023-12-21 |lang=fr |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/ce-bebe-a-change-ma-vie-on-a-retrouve-mamoudou-gassama-le-sans-papiers-qui-avait-sauve-un-enfant-en-2018-4506111}} He lives in Montreuil in accommodation offered by the town hall.{{cite news |first=Donald |last=Gonli |title=France : Mamoudou Gassama mène une 'vie de rêve' après son exploit de 2018 |work=www.linfodrome.com |date=2024-01-03 |lang=fr |url=https://www.linfodrome.com/international/93609-france-mamoudou-gassama-mene-une-vie-de-reve-apres-son-exploit-de-2018}}{{cite news |author=Ndapoka |title=Arrêt sur images: La nouvelle vie de Mamadou Gassama|work= Xalima.com |date=2020-03-30 |url=https://www.xalimasn.com/arret-sur-images-la-nouvelle-vie-de-mamadou-gassama/}}
Popular Media
A story about Mamoudou Gassama's courageous act was featured on the TV Documentary, The Proof Is Out There.{{cn|date=June 2024}}
References
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Category:21st-century French people