Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye alias “Gaye el prési”: A promising pen January 24, 2026
A student at Assane Seck University in Ziguinchor, particularly in the Department of Modern Literature, Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye, better known under the pseudonym Gaye El Prési, is making a name for himself in the artistic world. He has two collections of poems to his credit: one is entitled “A Stay at the Library”, the other “Eternal Star”. An activist for noble causes, this writer-poet and slammer defines himself as an ambassador of the Pular language, but also as a voice for his people.
Lulled by reading the classics of African literature since his early childhood, Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye, better known under the pseudonym Gayel El Prési, is a literary man at heart. “I have always loved reading and writing. When my older brothers came home from college, all I asked for were books. It’s a real obsession for me,” he reveals. Originally from Woudourou, a village nestled in the heart of Dandé Mayo, in the commune of Nabadji Civol (Matam department), where he completed his elementary and middle school cycles, he confides: “I was an average student who gave body and soul to move on to the next class.”
After obtaining the Middle School Certificate, he joined the Nguidjilogne high school to begin his secondary studies. Despite his performances in literary subjects, the young Gaye initially opted for the scientific series.
“Since middle school, people have always told me that I am a literary person. Besides, I obtained excellent grades in French and history, among others. But I had a passion for scientific disciplines,” he says, emphasizing that he wanted to realize the idea that “good scientists are also good writers.”
However, the high school student was convinced that letters were his favorite field. “I still tried to do the second and first S before finally switching to final L2,” he says. One thing led to another, and he obtained his baccalaureate in 2019. With his diploma in hand, the young baccalaureate left his bags at the Assane Seck University in Ziguinchor, more precisely in the department of Modern Literature. An adventure that promises to be difficult, because for the first time, he must leave his family to find himself in a world that is completely unknown to him.
“At the time, I was the only Woudourois in Ziguinchor. I felt alone,” reveals the student. However, he adds, he quickly made friends who shared the same passion as him, namely literature, which facilitated his integration.
Read to write
For Gaye El Prési, the passion for writing was born from reading. By reading so much, he wanted to experiment with writing. “When we read, we want to practice. The books that I read here and there pushed me to get an idea of writing,” explains the native of Woudourou. According to him, he also followed to the letter the advice given by his French teacher at the time, in this case Mr. Younouss Sall: “I already know that you read, but you have to increase your efforts. You must also hang out with great people, take part in conferences dedicated to books and above all not leave the libraries.” Along the way, Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye puts himself to the test.
“It was in first grade that I started writing my first book. I wrote it without even knowing what he was talking about,” he explains. But, over the years, he had to perfect it. For five years, he devoted himself to handling and polishing the words that would later constitute his very first work.
In March 2022, Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye published his collection of poems entitled “A stay at the library”, thus marking his entry into the restricted circle of writers. Through this work, the author highlights his roots and his culture. “From the first pages, I talk about my identity, my belonging, Fouta, Fulani culture,” underlines the poet. He also sang the “rare religious pearls of Senegal”, dedicating poems to emblematic figures such as Cheikh Oumar Foutiyou Tall, Mame Maodo Malick, Baye Niass and Serigne Touba.
Furthermore, Gaye El Prési claims to have expressed his personal lyricism: “I also spoke about my personal life, as a poet who likes to dream, travel and discover new horizons”. Very prolific, the young writer wasted no time in producing a second collection. In the space of two years, “Etoile Eternal” was born. In this work, he pays tribute to the African woman whom he considers “an eternal star who never dies”.
For him, woman is at the beginning and end of everything, because she is the one who gives birth, raises, protects and inspires. She therefore deserves to be sung, glorified and honored in view of the efforts she makes on a daily basis. His older brother, Ousmane Gaye, testifies: “He is above all an unconditional lover of words. Literature and poetry have always been for him much more than a passion: they are a refuge, a strength, a path of life.” According to the journalist at the Senegalese Press Agency (Aps), Oumar lives to read, write and transmit.
Gayel El Prési, the slammer Despite the sacrifices made, the profession of writer does not always feed its man. The author of “Eternal Star” knows something about this. “Unfortunately, the writer does not live from his pen,” he laments. According to him, reading is increasingly neglected in favor of new information and communication technologies. “Young people read differently. They are lazy to put themselves in front of black and white paper, preferring to go to the Internet or PDFs,” he points out, before adding that this harms the book. Beyond his status as a writer-poet, Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye is also a slammer.
“At first, I focused only on writing. Besides, I rarely participated in poetry competitions in high school,” he admits. After seeing that many were doing slam in French, he decided to add his personal touch by slamming in the Pular language. Certainly, the constraints are numerous, but he intends to take up the challenge in order to promote his mother tongue. His dearest wish is to collaborate with the vocal lead of the group Dandé Leniol. Gaye El Prési has two titles to his credit: “Guidelam Jontadam” and “Yonta hande”.
Adored by the public, he is invited almost everywhere in the Matam region for performances. In fact, he is making a name for himself in the local cultural landscape. A pen in the service of his people Addressing the situation of cultural actors in the region, Oumar Al Foutiyou Gaye believes that “support, both financial and logistical, is lacking”.
According to him, the regional cultural center remains the only existing cultural infrastructure in the entire Matam region. “There is a glaring deficit in terms of cultural infrastructure, which constitutes an obstacle to the development of local culture,” he denounces. This is why he pleads for the erection of youth centers in the most remote areas.
Very sensitive to the concerns of Dandé Mayo, El Prési also acts as the voice of his people, often left to their own fate. It is in this context that he sent an open letter to the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to demand the asphalting of the Dandé Mayo road.
“During the flood of the river, the populations of the valley are cut off from the rest of the country, for lack of passable roads to reach the national,” fumes this native of Dandé Mayo.
By Falel PAM
