All the first times of Mouhamed Alì Ndiaye. From Senegal to Pontedera to chase a dream called boxing
“My name is certainly not Mouhamed Ali by chance,” proudly states Mouhamed Alì Ndiaye, three-time national boxing champion in Senegal and winner of the Italian and European titles in the super-middleweight division. Born in Pikine, Senegal, Ndiaye faced a real obstacle course to realize his dream of being able to train to become a professional. The star of the ring has had a forty-year long history, during which he has never had to fight.
And if, until 2015, Ndiaye wore boxing gloves, now it is the turn of the protective gloves of the Pontedera Fire Department, or the emotions he handles as a cultural mediator on behalf of the Italian Red Cross . For years, Mouhamed Alì has carried out an indissoluble social commitment, without ever forgetting his roots. We talked about these and many other activities with the Italian-Senegalese boxer.
Who is Mouhamed Alì Ndiaye? Can you tell us about yourself?
“My name is Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye and I am originally from Senegal, but I arrived in Italy in 2000. First I passed through France, then I arrived first in Brescia, to a cousin, and then I moved to Pontedera. Until 2002 I was an illegal immigrant, I had no documents, and I worked as a street vendor until I met a girl who became my wife. She is Italian, she comes from Sicily. We got married and that's how I got the documents”.
Why did he leave Senegal?
“In Senegal I was national boxing champion in '97, '98 and '99. I left my city to make my dreams come true, because the possibilities in my country would not have allowed me to become world champion, even though I was the son of an artist. My father, Moussa, was also a boxing champion in Senegal, my name is certainly not Mouhamed Ali by chance! When I was one year old I was baptized by Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay, in Senegal, which is why I carry his name. After the Sydney Games in 2000, which did not go well, I understood that, if I had stayed in Senegal, my dreams would have vanished”.
Has he managed to gain continuity in the sport in France?
“No. In France I got a Schengen visa for only two months, then I managed to move to Italy to a cousin who boxed in Brescia. He was the one who hosted me before I moved to Pontedera, where I joined other cousins. Brescia is a mountain town and I couldn’t train consistently. Furthermore, the gyms didn’t take the responsibility of letting me train. For them I was an illegal immigrant, and I didn’t have documents. That’s why I moved to Pontedera, where the boxing culture is strong and where Alessandro Mazzinghi, a world boxing champion, trained.”
How has your relationship with sport and citizens changed?
“Before I got citizenship everything was difficult. During the referendum I launched a message to get citizenship faster, I did it for the good of the country I live in. Citizenship gives people the chance to reach goals, to integrate even faster and to give their best, in my case with sports. Without citizenship I had to wait two years to get a residence permit, then another two years after the wedding to finally get the documents. These are all obstacles that prevent you from doing many things like, in my case, participating in championships”.
What results have you managed to achieve in Italy?
“Shortly before obtaining citizenship, in 2003, I was already in the National team in Assisi. Then, in 2004, I formally obtained citizenship and participated in the eighty-second absolute in Maddaloni, Caserta, becoming the national champion of super middleweight (up to 75kg). I was the first Senegalese in the history of Italy to win a national competition. That day, I brought Pontedera back to the top of Italy after 40 years of absence from the top of boxing”.
In your opinion, how has Italy changed from 2000 to today in terms of reception?
“Unfortunately, I have seen a profound deterioration over the years. Italy must understand that diversity is a wealth. There are those who arrive on boats, there are boys and girls born and raised here, there are those who have worked in Italy for a very long time, and they are all people looking for a better life. Many, despite being born in Italy, are unable to obtain citizenship, and Italy, instead of exploiting these opportunities for the good of the country, hinders the paths in sport, in study, in culture of those who only want to achieve a dream. By denying you citizenship, you cannot achieve your goals”.
And what about the relationship between culture and citizenship?
“I agree that citizenship should not be 'given away'. It is right to know the country you live in, you have to perceive it, you have to adapt, you have to understand its culture, but you must not replace your culture with that of the country you live in. You have to integrate, but without losing your roots. Fortunately, in this, the Constitution allows everyone to study and practice their own religion, for example. Many people, in other countries, send their children to their country of origin to study Arabic or the Koran. The Constitution guarantees these freedoms, but Italy must also understand that the strength of cities like London or states like the United States or Germany is multiculturalism”.
Returning to boxing, do you still practice sports or has social work become your main commitment?
“After suffering a retinal detachment in 2015, I had to give up boxing. I stayed on the circuit as a trainer in a gym in Pontedera, but I have less and less time to divide between family and work. Even when I was practicing sports, I made statements in favor of integration and multiculturalism, but now social issues have a different weight. I come from a country, Senegal, where 47% of the population lives below the poverty line.”
What path did you decide to take in volunteering?
“In 2012 I was appointed 'Goodwill Ambassador for the Disabled in West Africa', and since 2006 I have been a discontinuous Firefighter at the barracks in Pisa and Pontedera. I have also been a Red Cross volunteer, and I have collaborated with Geofor and former president Marconcini on a project to donate a means of transport for disabled people to Pikine, the city in Senegal where I was born and raised”.
What other social initiatives have you carried out?
“After the delivery of the vehicle, I made a request to the Red Cross and the Fire Department of Pisa to receive as a gift other decommissioned vehicles, which could no longer be used. In 2018, the Fire Department donated two tankers, while the Red Cross donated two ambulances that we brought to the city of Touba. After that, we made requests to hospitals for orthopedic beds, various types of aids, and we organized a new trip to Senegal. From 2012 to today, I have helped bring 19 vehicles, including ambulances and tankers, to my home country, all thanks to the help of the Red Cross, Pubblica Assistenza, Misericordia and all those who helped me deliver vehicles that in Senegal make the difference between life and death”.
What was the motivation that led you to join the Fire Department and the Red Cross?
“I made these decisions because I felt I had to serve the country I live in, that I had to be useful. In 2006 I went to the employment office in Pontedera and saw the flyer for enlisting in the discontinuous Fire Department. I said, why don't I take the course, why shouldn't I make myself useful? I became the first Senegalese Firefighter in Italy. I like to help, to sow and then to reap. Through the Red Cross I worked as a cultural mediator with migrants during peak arrivals, in order to reconcile the parties. Many people, for example, do family reunification without knowing what documents to send. I also created a project on a national scale to insert cultural mediators into schools, hospitals and offices”.
A few years ago you wrote a book about your life, can you tell me about it?
“The book is called 'My name is Mouhamed Alì', and it was written by me and Rita Coruzzi. It was published in 2019 by Piemme, and was chosen by Amref and Coni for the fight against racism and Afrophobia in schools. I recently signed the contract that will see a new book published by the end of the year, with the same title but with a different publisher, in which new parts of my life will be added, such as family life and the death of my father, my first coach. The motto of my biography is that difficulties will not be lacking, but no one should stop you from fighting for your goals. The past is the past, the present is the life we live in, while the future belongs to God, and it is a future made of intertwining cultures and realities. I also appeal to the Government. I ask not to put spokes in the wheels of those who can serve the country, in schools, in hospitals, in the armed forces, in society. Many people are well integrated, many immigrant families have already been here for two years. generations. Not granting them citizenship only adds to the difficulties of an already complicated path.”
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