“When an old man dies, a library disappears”, says an African proverb.
Africans in Brazil , woke up today , 6th June , 2022, to witness the ancestral call of a genius , Papi Senegal , one of the most significant African leader in the city of Saopaulo, Brazil .
A religious leader of excellence , who throughout his life in Brazil, projected the Islamic religion as a religion of life , compassion and total submission to the Almighty God
Monsieur Dadiarra “ Grand Pá “ as he was always called , used Islam to tell Africans , Brazilians , and the entire world a reason to love one another . Grand papa taught many the importance of African history , shared his life experiences . Papi demonstrated reasons why it is important to maintain the culture and tradition of the African people in Brazil
“ I can’t imagine that such a mind has gone . Olodumare called him . He needed to attend the call of nature .We will forever love him . He was a Library who marked his presence in Brazil and around the world . Sleep well !” Rosangela Mello said
According to Alex Andre Vargem , a Brazilian , in his publication , dated 6th June 2022
“ Today we mourn the passing of Monsieur Dadiarra “Grand Papa”, 77 years old, our great Father who this Sunday morning passed on for natural causes. Very hard to believe! We were together these last few days, I even visited him and we talked for hours. In the last few months he had lost one of his children.
Grand Papa, from Mali/Senegal, was a great African Islamic leader in the world and, consequently, one of the greatest Africanist in Brazil in recent times. Since 2007 , I have been able to follow his trajectory. Muslim religious leader, great writer, he worked for the emancipation of African people in Africa and the Diaspora. He was a library! He was a great Master, my reference. A legend!
Born under the aegis of the French occupation in Africa at the end of World War II, he fought and was against European colonization between the late 1950s and the mid-1970s, and positioned himself for the end of Occidentalism on the African continent. He witnessed the formation of newly created African nation states, acted strongly in Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Ghana, Togo, Guinea, Chad, Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria and other countries on the continent. He saw with his own eyes the Biafra War (1967-1970) and other major political events on the African continent. He positioned himself for the union of African people with supranational organizations.
In the diaspora, he criticized and denounced the neocolonialism of the powers of the Northern Hemisphere in relation to Africa. In Brazil, in particular, in addition to exercising his leadership in political advocacy and in the union of African people of different nationalities, he wrote his great work with Cheick Ndiaye: “Occidental contempt, tears of blood: tales and accounts of slavery”, released in 2015.
In the last few days, I talked to Grand Papa, he was getting ready to go to Europe for a set of commitments with universities and the African diasporic community. My last hug.
I also cannot forget the tribute that the Grand Papa paid to my mother, Edna Vargem, when she passed in June 2019, all her affection and her words of comfort, as he always told me: “My son, you have to be strong! You have to have courage! You have to keep fighting!”.
We will continue the fight and all its legacy. It deserves all the honors. May Allah welcome him with open arms. Blessings to the dearest Grand Mama “Mama Africa” and the African community as a whole.”
The Nigeria Community In Brazil , ancestrals.com.ng ( Ancestral News) in Brazil , the African Cultural Center In Brazil , Muslim communities in Brazil , Yoruba descendants forum in Brazil and other African groups in Saopaulo wish him well as he joined his ancestors , they expressed their heartfelt condolence messages to the family he left behind .
