Donation protected
Dear Friends and Family,
February 3 the world lost an exceptional man to COVID 19. His daughter Mamy wrote of him, “I often said to my friends when asked about him that ‘mon père est un grand homme’ but I didn’t realize just how true that statement was until now. Seeing so many people mourn him all over the world these past few days has only been a greater testament to the life that he lived, as he lived it so fully and fearlessly, and no tribute would have meant more to him than the one he received here, in Senegal, the country he fought to come back to and consistently uplifted.”
Our ask
We are friends of Mamy Mbaye and we wish to raise funds, 100% of which will go to his wife, Birima, and their children Adji, Ahmadou, Mamy and Jagga. Due to the unexpected loss of the sole provider, the family is in need of support for immediate needs, funeral costs and the education of Dr. Mbaye’s youngest daughter, Jagga. She is a freshman at New York University Tisch studying music. We are hoping to raise $15,000. Should we reach that goal we hope to extend the support longer.
Life of Dr. Abdoul Aziz Mbaye
A career diplomat, Dr. Mbaye was a brilliant intellectual in science and culture. His contributions were multi-faceted; as former Chief of Staff and Minister of Culture to Senegal’s President and close friend Macky Sall, Dr. Mbaye advocated for African resilience and solidarity. “Africa is the future of Africa.” From economics and science to technology, climate change and COVID-19, Dr Mbaye’s contributions and leadership will be remembered. Abdoul Aziz Mbaye held a master's degree in international politics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, a master's degree in Public Management from the Solvay Business School and a 3rd cycle degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Early in his career Dr. Mbaye was a trailblazer as the first Sub-Saharan African to join the mathematics and physics department of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in 1983. Dr. Mbaye was a visiting scientist at the United States Department of Energy at the Solar Energy Research Institute. He was appointed scientific officer at the European Commission for the European Strategic Research and Development Program relating to information technologies (ESPRIT) and subsequently of the European Commission to South Africa and Head of the European Union delegation to the Pacific, based in Fiji. Dr. Mbaye launched Dakar Science Biennale and was president of Youth Network For Development, initiating programs for young girls in universities or the capacity building program for artists and managers. Mbaye argued that solidarity was the way to combat the bridges that COVID-19 has broken between people and countries, saying that even if COVID-19 was in the smallest village in Senegal, it would remain a worldwide threat.
Thank you
Senegalese President Sall described his long time friend and advisor Dr. Mbaye as, “warm, available, generous and committed”. The same and more can be said of every member of the Mbaye family, some of the most loving and compassionate people we’ve had the pleasure of knowing. To meet any member of this family is to immediately feel welcomed and valued. As friends of Mamy, over the years we have learned so much from how she conducts herself as a daughter, sister and community member. She wrote of her dad, “whenever he entered a room, he had a way of shifting all the energy towards him”, describing a presence that anyone in Mamy’s life can recognize as much like her own. Few people in this world have the passion, beauty and brilliance that each member of this family possesses, and it is truly a tragedy to have lost one. Whatever support you can offer during this time is deeply appreciated.
Warmly,
Juliet Gardner and Maïmouna Diarra
February 3 the world lost an exceptional man to COVID 19. His daughter Mamy wrote of him, “I often said to my friends when asked about him that ‘mon père est un grand homme’ but I didn’t realize just how true that statement was until now. Seeing so many people mourn him all over the world these past few days has only been a greater testament to the life that he lived, as he lived it so fully and fearlessly, and no tribute would have meant more to him than the one he received here, in Senegal, the country he fought to come back to and consistently uplifted.”
Our ask
We are friends of Mamy Mbaye and we wish to raise funds, 100% of which will go to his wife, Birima, and their children Adji, Ahmadou, Mamy and Jagga. Due to the unexpected loss of the sole provider, the family is in need of support for immediate needs, funeral costs and the education of Dr. Mbaye’s youngest daughter, Jagga. She is a freshman at New York University Tisch studying music. We are hoping to raise $15,000. Should we reach that goal we hope to extend the support longer.
Life of Dr. Abdoul Aziz Mbaye
A career diplomat, Dr. Mbaye was a brilliant intellectual in science and culture. His contributions were multi-faceted; as former Chief of Staff and Minister of Culture to Senegal’s President and close friend Macky Sall, Dr. Mbaye advocated for African resilience and solidarity. “Africa is the future of Africa.” From economics and science to technology, climate change and COVID-19, Dr Mbaye’s contributions and leadership will be remembered. Abdoul Aziz Mbaye held a master's degree in international politics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, a master's degree in Public Management from the Solvay Business School and a 3rd cycle degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Early in his career Dr. Mbaye was a trailblazer as the first Sub-Saharan African to join the mathematics and physics department of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in 1983. Dr. Mbaye was a visiting scientist at the United States Department of Energy at the Solar Energy Research Institute. He was appointed scientific officer at the European Commission for the European Strategic Research and Development Program relating to information technologies (ESPRIT) and subsequently of the European Commission to South Africa and Head of the European Union delegation to the Pacific, based in Fiji. Dr. Mbaye launched Dakar Science Biennale and was president of Youth Network For Development, initiating programs for young girls in universities or the capacity building program for artists and managers. Mbaye argued that solidarity was the way to combat the bridges that COVID-19 has broken between people and countries, saying that even if COVID-19 was in the smallest village in Senegal, it would remain a worldwide threat.
Thank you
Senegalese President Sall described his long time friend and advisor Dr. Mbaye as, “warm, available, generous and committed”. The same and more can be said of every member of the Mbaye family, some of the most loving and compassionate people we’ve had the pleasure of knowing. To meet any member of this family is to immediately feel welcomed and valued. As friends of Mamy, over the years we have learned so much from how she conducts herself as a daughter, sister and community member. She wrote of her dad, “whenever he entered a room, he had a way of shifting all the energy towards him”, describing a presence that anyone in Mamy’s life can recognize as much like her own. Few people in this world have the passion, beauty and brilliance that each member of this family possesses, and it is truly a tragedy to have lost one. Whatever support you can offer during this time is deeply appreciated.
Warmly,
Juliet Gardner and Maïmouna Diarra
Organizer and beneficiary
Juliet Gardner
Organizer
New York, NY
Manacoro Mbaye
Beneficiary