Mame Khourédia Niang, known as Xoureja, speaking her mind in the service of youth
At 22, Mame Khourédia Niang, known under the pseudonym Xoureja, builds her career around volunteering, culture and civic engagement. Originally from Guédiawaye, she will participate, on November 5 at the Daniel-Sorano National Theater, in the final of the Kalama eloquence competition. She will defend an affirmative position on the theme “Have the Olympic values lost their value?” ».
In Guédiawaye, Mame Khourédia Niang grew up with the desire to contribute to the life of her community. Now 22 years old, the young Senegalese, better known as Xoureja, is gaining experience in the fields of youth, culture, communication and volunteering. A graduate in digital project management, she is interested in initiatives that allow young people to develop their ideas, make their voices heard and participate in changes in their society. Her associative career takes shape in particular with the Yaakaar Volunteer Action Network (RAVY), of which she is a co-founder. Through this initiative, it helps to encourage solidarity and commitment among young people in the service of their communities. For her, volunteering represents a way of experiencing citizenship and taking part in the search for solutions to the difficulties encountered around you. “It’s a way of looking at the world, of feeling concerned by what’s happening around you and of deciding to act, even when you don’t have all the necessary means,” she explains. His experience at the Senegal Youth Consortium allowed him to work in communication and youth mobilization. It has notably contributed to making information more accessible and to promoting the initiatives carried out by this category of the population. This experience reinforced his interest in communication as a tool for raising awareness and citizen participation. Culture also plays an important role in his journey. His experience in cultural mediation, notably at the Agency for the Promotion and Development of Crafts, allowed him to deepen his interest in the transmission and access to culture. Today, she continues her commitment to coordinating projects linked to the cultural and creative industries. Through these different experiences, Xoureja seeks to put her skills at the service of projects that bring young people closer to culture and collective life.
One word, everything is saved
On November 5, 2026, she will take a new step at the Daniel-Sorano National Theater, on the occasion of the final of the Kalama eloquence competition, organized as part of the Dakar Youth Olympic Games, with Eloquentia and the French Development Agency (AFD). The theme chosen, “Have the Olympic values lost their value?” », invites him to examine the principles which underpin the Olympic ideal. The young candidate will defend the affirmative answer. His argument will focus on the contradictions between the values displayed by the Olympic movement and certain realities of sport. In particular, it intends to question the place of doping in competitions, the environmental consequences of major sporting events and the impact of these events on populations. “I deeply believe in what sport can bring to our societies. But I think it is important to question the contradictions that sometimes exist between the values that the Olympic movement defends and certain realities of the sporting world,” she emphasizes. For Xoureja, excellence, respect and friendship between people must be reflected in sporting practices and in the organization of competitions. His intervention will thus seek to bring the Olympic principles closer to the realities experienced by athletes, populations and young people. In Senegal, the organization of the YOG Dakar 2026 gives particular scope to its reflection. The young woman wonders about the legacy that this event will leave to future generations. She hopes that the benefits of the Games will also be appreciated through the opportunities offered to young people, the vocations sparked and the lasting changes in communities. “The legacy of a sporting event should also be measured by the opportunities offered to young people, the vocations sparked, the links created and the lasting changes in communities,” she believes. Eloquence offers him an additional means of expressing his convictions. Through speaking, she intends to raise public awareness, defend her ideas and open debate on social issues. “It’s a way of putting words to the realities we observe, of defending convictions and opening spaces for dialogue,” she confides. At the Kalama finale, on November 5, Mame Khourédia Niang will bring this conviction to the audience of the Daniel-Sorano National Theater. His journey, built between volunteering, communication and culture, nourishes a clear ambition, that of giving young people an active place in society and making speech a means of defending their aspirations. “Values must be reflected in our choices, our behavior and the possibilities we offer to others,” she summarizes. A conviction that she intends to defend eloquently, at a time when Senegal is hosting the Youth Olympic Games and where the place of youth in this event raises many expectations.
Amadou KÉBÉ
