Discover the not so serious face of Ahmed Jedou from Mauritania

Ahmed and I and many other GVers during the AB14 in Amman !!! in a photo widely shared by the participants

Ahmed and I and many other GVers during the AB14 in Amman !!! in a photo widely shared by the participants

I already interviewed Ahmed Jedou more or Jedou as we all like to call him, about 2 years ago in 2013 when he won the best blog in Arabic for the Best of Blogs (BoBs) award, organised annually by the Deutsche Welle. 

And so i was wondering what could I possibly ask him again or what would the readers could know more about our Jedou… Mauritania Ambassador in GV.

Jedou is also among the rare GVers who write original posts in Arabic, which are later translated into English mostly by your humble servant, the writer of that post. Like many contributors he was at first quoted in GV posts and updates before being asked by Ayesha Saldanha to join the family well you know the rest :)

If you read Ahmed post, maybe you will get a gloomy idea of Mauritania which is in a way true but also about the author and will think he only talks about serious and boring issues

But I can testify that Ahmed has another face, a much funnier one that I personally got to know in Amman last year during the Arab Bloggers Forum – #AB14.

Few weeks ago, while we were struggling to have a Google Hangout … (internet sucks in both Mauritania and Lebanon so it was a real hell). i saw him joking and laughing with his young nieces.

I also have to say I am jealous of Jedou, for his patriotism, despite all oppression and problems in Mauritania from Slavery to racism, to dicatorship … and so and so .. he refuses to leave and wants to continue striving for change ! Lucky you Jedou, I feel sometimes I gave up not only on Lebanon but on any cause too !

And i quote him:

“Though the situation is difficult and miserable, but I can picture myself out of Mauritania and I see it as some kind of an escape. Because the battle for change should be fought in Mauritania and not outside. And while I fully understand those who decided to emigrate and try to live abroad but i simply dont see myself outside it.”

He  also says he has no regrets since his philosophy is that regrets isn't useful we should rather learn from our mistakes and never repeat them. ( me envious again !!!)

Down with Military Regime said Ahmed during AB14 in Amman in a photo taken by Amer Sweidan

Down with Military Regime said Ahmed during AB14 in Amman in a photo taken by Amer Sweidan

With Fish and Rice being his favorite meal, he also reveals he has a love relation with the night while admitting that has a complicated relationship with sleeping, since sometimes he's really fond of his bed while some other moments he would rather stay awake.

Jedou travelled a lot, he was in the Summit in Kenya and some of you will be lucky to meet him in Cebu in few weeks (me jealous !!!), but he admits he has a penchant for Egypt, though he only visited Alexandria, but it marked him nevertheless.

Jedou has a bad luck when it comes to Lebanon as he got invited to visit my country more than once … including lately for the IG MENA but never managed to do so and that's only for stupid visa issues (tell me about these things , as I couldn't attend the Summit in Kenya for the same stupid reason … grrrrrrrr #@&$*!!!) with Lebanon having to Embassy in Nouakchott and blablabala

Ahmed, I hope one day we will break all those visa barriers and I will meet you myself at the airport in Beirut and make it up for all the times you missed..

Thanks for being a friend and thanks for counting me among yours !

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