Photo Credit: Salum Ndezi

La vie peut changer soudainement

Si la Nouvelle Année commence avec 365 jours, je vois 365 opportunités entre mes mains.
DR of the Congo, Middle Africa

Story by Salum Ndezi. Translated by Stefania Ledda
Published on March 14, 2021.

This story is also available in GB ar de es ir it kr



Je suis né à Bukavu, dans la partie orientale de la République Démocratique du Congo. Quand j’avais cinq ans, ma mère est tombée malade, elle avait la lèpre. Mon père l'a emmenée dans plusieurs hôpitaux de la ville, mais elle ne se remettait pas. Mon père utilisait toutes ses économies pour payer beaucoup de frais de santé. Plus tard, les jambes de ma mère se sont paralysées et elle ne pouvait pas marcher. Alors, mon père l’a emmenée dans un meilleur hôpital de la ville, où elle a été soignée et a guéri en recommençant à marcher comme avant. Mais les frais de cet hôpital étaient très importants. Mon père a dû vendre notre maison pour les payer. À cause de cette situation, mes parents ont quitté Bukavu pour déménager au village de Nyangezi.

J'ai grandi à Nyangezi jusqu’à ce que je finisse le secondaire. Ensuite, j’ai quitté la maison de mes parents et je suis parti pour retourner dans la ville afin de continuer les études supérieures. Je voulais devenir un expert informatique, mais je ne réussissais pas à être accepté dans les universités qui avaient un département d’ingénierie informatique. Donc, j'ai décidé de chercher ailleurs et je suis allé dans une université à Kigali, la capitale du Rwanda et notre pays voisin: j’ai traversé la frontière et j’ai commencé l’université. J’étais tellement heureux de vivre dans un nouveau pays, avec une nourriture nouvelle, une nouvelle atmosphère, une nouvelle culture et de nouveaux amis.

J’étais tellement heureux de vivre dans un nouveau pays

Après un an et demi, mon frère qui payait mes études, la location et d’autres dépenses, a perdu son travail à cause d’un court-circuit et l’incendie de son magasin de meubles. Après cet événement imprévisible, notre vie est devenue amère. Je dépendais complètement de mon frère. À Kigali je n’avais pas de famille ou d’amis qui pouvaient m’aider et personne d’autre de ma famille ne pouvait me soutenir économiquement parce que je viens d’une famille à revenu faible. À cause de l’anxiété, j’ai perdu 4 kilos en une semaine. Vu ma situation financière, j’avais besoin de retourner chez moi. J’avais prévu de partir dans les deux semaines car il ne me restait que dix jours de location déjà payée et un petit peu de nourriture qui pouvait suffire pour quinze jours.

J’avais besoin de retourner chez moi. J’avais prévu de partir dans les deux semaines

Quatre jours avant de partir, je me rendais à la bibliothèque. Là-bas j’ai trouvé un nouvel ami, un immigrant qui s’est présenté à moi lorsqu’il m’a entendu parler Swahili. Il a changé complètement ma vie quand il m’a dit qu'il y avait des offres d’emploi pour des enseignants de français aux écoles primaires locales.

J’ai postulé et j’ai prié Dieu tout puissant. Il est au-dessus de tous et de tout et Il est le seul qui donne et le seul qui prend. Après cinq jours, une école m’a appelé pour un entretien d’embauche. Trois jours plus tard, le directeur d’école m’a appelé pour me dire que j’avais obtenu le poste. C’était un miracle pour moi ! J’annulais tous les plans de retour chez moi.

Quand j’ai obtenu le travail, j’ai arrêté les études un semestre pour mettre de l’argent de côté. Après cinq mois, je recommençais les études supérieures mais mon salaire ne suffisait pas pour payer les droits d’inscription pour les études d’ingénierie informatique. J’ai donc changé pour le département de langue et littérature anglaises. Maintenant je suis en dernière année et j’enseigne toujours le français.

J’ai commencé à croire que tout est possible dans la vie

Dès que j’ai obtenu le travail, j’ai commencé à croire que tout est possible dans la vie. Quand la Nouvelle Année commence avec 365 jours, je vois 365 opportunités entre mes mains. Je crois que j’ai besoin d'être plus créatif, courageux et d’avoir de bons rapports avec les gens que je rencontre. Je dis toujours: même si tu fais des efforts et que tu échoues, ne sois pas déçu. Tu dois avoir une attitude optimiste vers le succès parce que toute situation de la vie est temporaire. La vie, c’est une question de timing.


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Salum Ndezi

Salum Ndezi

I’m Salumu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the second widest country of Africa with more than four hundred tribes and more than four hundred fifty dialects. Kiswahili, Lingala, Tshiluba and Kikongo are the four national languages and French is an official one. It is a very rich country with its natural resources. But the biggest problems are the political instability, insecurity, war most in the eastern part of the country, and tribalism. And these bring us other big problems of poverty and hunger. Citizens cannot benefit from the resources of their own country. I observed and found out that people’s mentality must be changed, from all classes of people. And my only way to contribute to changing people’s mentality is through writing and sharing my ideas with everyone. Together we can make Congo, Africa and the whole world a better place.

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