Mamoudu Gassama - A zero who became a hero in 30 seconds

On the evening of May 27, 2018, Mamaoudu Gassama was walking accross the street to go watch a football match when he stumbled upon an horrfic scene of a little child dangling from the balcony of a 4th floor apartment in Paris.

Without considering his own safety, Gassama swiftly scaled up the building and saved the four-year-old child's life, as a crowd of people watched in complete awe from the street below.

Thankfully, Gassama's brave and heroic act was all recorded on a smartphone and uploaded on social media.

Within 48 hours, the 30-seconds long rescue video circulated all over the Internet. Thousands and thousands of people had viewed it, not just in France, but around the world. 

View this post on Instagram

#Repost @believeseriez (@get_repost) ・・・ @cbcnewbrunswick Have we seen this video that went viral showing a young man from Mali who scaled four floors in a few seconds to save a toddler. He has since been nicknamed the spiderman of France and rewarded with a job by the French president. He achieved this act of heroism because of his skills and self-confidence. Never stop believing in yourself. Success isn't just about your skills but how confident you feel about your abilities and the intrinsic belief that you are capable of handling the challenge and achieve success no matter the obstacle... BELIEVE 💪🏽 Video credit: CBC News #francespiderman #spiderman #believer #believe #elspiderman #parishero #paris #ability #malianpride #mali #hero #belief #mamoudougassama #blackexcellence #selfbelief #confidence #france #frenchpresident #parisspiderman #skills #competence #success #heroism #viralvideo #reward #toddler #news #believerepublic #inspire

A post shared by mamoudou gassama officiel🇲🇱 🇫🇷 (@mamoudougassamaoficiel) on May 29, 2018 at 7:08am PDT

And just like that, Gassama (who was 23 at the time) emerged from being a nobody to a somebody. Since then, he has been severally praised has achieved some successes for himself.

• Nicknamed "Spiderman"

No doubt, his superhuman ability to have climed a building in some 30 seconds is worth being named. That's why the Mayor of Paris specially gave Gassama the name "Spiderman of the 18th," which is named after the district where the event took place.

• Invited by the French President

The following week, France's President, Emmanuel Macron, invited Gassama to the French Presidential Palace, where he received even more praise.

• He was made a French citizen

The most interesting part of Gassama's story is that he was a Mali citizen illegally staying in France. His heroic act appealed that even migrants can he helpful, too. He didn't even go through the 5 years residency requirement for becoming a citizen -  instead, within five months, he was issued a French citizenship.

• He was given a role in the French Fire Service

With the recommendation of President Macron, Mamoudou Gassama was given a job in the French emergency service- after all, he has just the physical strength for it.

• He received a BET Award

Gassama had already become a celebrity that the BET gave him the 2018 Humanitarian Honoree Award. 

• He was invited by Mali's President

Gassama, in an interview, said he fled Mali, and wasn't planning on visiting soon. But lucky for him, he returned in a way he himself never expected. He got a presidential invite by the President of Mali. So he was visiting as a VIP.

Well, I can keep going on and on. Mamoudou Gassama has, for sure, make a big name for himself- and I must say, he deserves it.