BEPC · Anglais — 2016

TEXT — The bicycle repairer

Every morning, at six o'clock, Karim opens his little workshop near the market of Gounghin, in Ouagadougou. He is nineteen years old and he repairs bicycles.

Karim did not choose this job at first. Three years ago, he failed his BEPC and his father, a poor farmer from Ziniaré, could not pay for another year at school. « You must learn something with your hands », his father said.

So Karim became an apprentice. For two years he watched, he carried tools, he swept the workshop and he received no money at all. Today he has his own tools, three regular customers every hour, and a small blue box where he keeps his savings.

But Karim has a plan. Every evening, from seven to nine, he goes to an evening class. « I want to become a mechanic for motorbikes and cars, » he explains, « and for that I need my BEPC. Bicycles feed me today ; the diploma will feed my children tomorrow. »

His younger sister, Salamata, is still at school. Karim pays for her books and her school fees. « She will not repair bicycles, » he says with a smile. « She will be a doctor. »