Abou Dicko, an "open air" pilot
When Abou Dicko was a child, he dreamed of becoming an airline pilot. Now aged 40 and still just as passionate about travel and discovery, he is captain of his own company "À ciel ouvert" (meaning "open air") in Mauritania. "À ciel ouvert" produces video content and training in the fields of digital technology, mobile journalism and other interactive formats.
Profile by Emmanuel de Solère Stintzy.
"Welcome aboard!" Abou Dicko seems to say.
The 40-year-old director/pilot of "À ciel ouvert" welcomes you to his company's offices, whose breathtaking terrace views over Nouakchott explain the choice of name. "We organise debates and screenings on this terrace, so many activities... in the open air! Beyond that, my dream was once to become a pilot. As a child, I often went to the airport with my brother to welcome parents home. We would go as far as the tarmac to see the planes. And when we were out with friends and aeroplanes flew over our neighbourhood, we'd say to one another, that's my plane!" reminisces Abou, picking up pace as he speaks. He smiles, "That was my dad's legacy!"
He looks back on a "joyful childhood" in El Mina, a working-class neighbourhood in the capital of Mauritania. Amadou Diop, Abou's friend from those days, says: "There was also a lot of delinquency. In our primary school, the teachers liked Abou, because he wasn't disruptive like the others, and he was a very good student. He still has that humility today. He doesn't want to ruffle any feathers." At home, Abou was almost an entirely different kid: "With three brothers and five sisters, I turned into the little scamp who annoyed everyone!"
"I'm flying with my own wings"
His shyness fell away in secondary school, as he made new friends and acted in educational sketches about HIV/AIDS in schools as a peer educator. After his final school exams, Abou Dicko graduated from the University of Nouakchott with a degree in administrative law, but "remained curious about anything and everything related to science, technology and the Internet". A communications officer and then trainer for CCD (Citoyennes Citoyens debout — upstanding citizens), a Mauritanian human rights NGO, he was later supported for a number of years by the French association FRAME, which specialised in MoJo (mobile journalism) and SoJo (solutions journalism) coaching.
Nicolas Baillergeau, the association's founder, makes no secret of his satisfaction with Abou: "Today, Abou knows how to produce and sell video content, as well as training, like a true professional. He was honest and discreet, and knew how to simplify certain types of content to adapt it to a given audience." That was a defining time in Abou Dicko's life: "I was trained in project management. I had to be coordinator, accountant and trainer, all at once. Since becoming the director of "À ciel ouvert" in 2021, I'm flying with my own wings. I'm my own boss. I hire two or three other people to work on projects with me, depending on the project."
Abou is making his pilot dreams come true and with the Afri'Kibaaru project, he has found the perfect runway, just as he was looking to enhance his training on digital technology, the Internet, social networks, mobile journalism and other interactive formats: "What I take away from the training sessions is a rich sharing of experiences with my fellow coaches and new insights into the basics of journalism, content production and different teaching methods. For example, interactive role-playing games that are useful for the coaching I give to Mauritanian media outlets."
"Qualified trainer"
Following on from the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), Abou Dicko has specialised in another theme thanks to CFI's Dialogues Migrations (Dialogues on Migration) project. Issa Djimera, a local project coordinator, knows Abou from university: "When we were students, down in the trenches, he was a good leader; he comforted and motivated the rest of us. He remains a pleasure to work with today; he listens to other people and strives to achieve the best results. He occasionally had difficulty with some of the participants who didn't fully commit themselves, that frustrated him. But thanks to CFI, he became a skilled and qualified trainer!"
As a coach/pilot and lifelong "travel and discovery" enthusiast, Abou Dicko keeps his feet firmly on the ground and would hate to miss an opportunity to progress. "I have yet to miss a show about aeroplane pilots, construction or new technology! I want to know how the world is changing," he says at full speed, once again nearly breaking the sound barrier.
In ten years…
The response was unanimous! Anyone I spoke to who was close to Abou Dicko imagines he will still be training people in ten years time. "I think he will stick to the field of information and train young people in particular. He often stays in touch with his former students," his childhood friend Amadou Diop explains. Nicolas Baillergeau elaborates: "He will always work in training, that's for sure! Abou's trainees appreciate how unpretentious he is. There is certainly demand for training in Mauritania and Western Africa more generally. He will be able to meet those needs."
Having known Abou Dicko since university, Issa Djimera is equally optimistic: "Ten years from now, he will be highly sought after by journalists' training organisations. Abou's work has always been social in essence, he enjoys helping others through training." Abou's own vision for his future echoes this: "I would like to develop training (for young people, NGOs, institutions and journalists, among others) on digital technology, the Internet, audio-visual content, social networks, fact checking and so on. I would also like to bring lots of young people into my company, and then supervise and mentor this next generation."
