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Mamadou Safaiou Barry lives in the West African nation of Guinea.
马马杜·萨法奥·巴里住在西非国家几内亚。
He wanted to study Islamic theology at a top school in Cairo, Egypt.
他想在埃及开罗的一所顶尖学校学习伊斯兰教神学。
Without money to pay for transport, Barry drew a map of Africa and headed out on a used bicycle for the trip across the continent.
由于没有钱支付交通费，巴里画了一张非洲地图，骑着一辆旧自行车开始了穿越非洲大陆的旅行。
Carrying only a change of clothes, a flashlight, and a small tool, the 25-year-old rode through jungles, deserts, and conflict areas in the hope of getting accepted to the school and finding a way to pay for it.
这位25岁的年轻人只带了一套换洗的衣服、一个手电筒和一个小工具，骑车穿过丛林、沙漠和冲突地区，希望能被学校录取，并找到支付学费的方法。
Four months and seven countries later, he is in Cairo with a full scholarship to Al-Azhar University.
在四个月里，他骑行穿过了七个国家，现在他在开罗，获得了爱资哈尔大学的全额奖学金。
That is one of the world's oldest and most respected Sunni Muslim learning centers.
这所学校是世界上历史最悠久、最受尊敬的逊尼派穆斯林学习中心之一。
"If you have a dream, stay with it and be strong," Barry said. "God will help you."
巴里说：“如果你有梦想，那就坚持下去，坚强起来，上帝会帮助你的。”
Thousands of West Africans like Barry take risky journeys across the Sahara desert each year, searching for a better life.
每年都有成千上万像巴里一样的西非人冒险穿越撒哈拉沙漠，寻找更好的生活。
But many never make it.
但很多人都没能成功。
Nearly 500 people died or disappeared on West African migration routes last year, data from the International Organization for Migration shows.
国际移民组织的数据显示，去年有近500人在西非移民路线上死亡或失踪。
Barry decided the risk was worth the reward.
巴里认为冒这个险是值得的。
"I had to fight," Barry said last August in Chad.
巴里去年8月在乍得说：“我必须奋斗”。
Barry rode about 100 kilometers each day.
巴里每天骑行约100公里。
He rode through Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Niger.
他骑车穿过马里、布基纳法索、多哥、贝宁和尼日尔。
He had to stop in N'Djamena, the Chadian capital because of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
由于苏丹持续不断的冲突，他不得不在乍得首都恩贾梅纳停留。
He said he had already been detained three times - twice in Burkina Faso and once in Togo.
他说，他已经被拘留了三次，两次在布基纳法索，一次在多哥。
There, security forces held him for nine days without charge before releasing him for $56.
在那里，安全部队在没有指控的情况下将他关押了9天，然后释放了他并赔偿他56美元。
That was all of his money for the rest of the trip, he said.
他说，这是他剩下旅程的全部资金。
"I often slept in the bush because I was afraid of people in the cities," Barry said. "I thought they would take my bike and hurt me."
巴里说：“我经常睡在灌木丛里，因为我害怕城市里的人，我以为他们会拿走我的自行车，并伤害我。”
Barry's luck changed again in Chad.
巴里在乍得又转运了。
There, a local philanthropist, who had read about his trip online, offered to fly him directly to Egypt and avoid the fighting in Sudan.
在那里，当地的一位慈善家在网上看到了有关他的旅行的信息，主动提出让他直接飞到埃及，以避开苏丹的战斗。
Barry arrived in Cairo on September 5 and days later received a full scholarship to Al-Azhar.
巴里于9月5日抵达开罗，几天后他获得了爱资哈尔大学的全额奖学金。
He intends to return to Guinea when his studies are complete, to spread the faith that has taken him so far.
他打算在完成学业后返回几内亚，传播带他走了这么远的信仰。
"When I return to my country, I would like to be someone who teaches Islam and tells people how to do good things," he said.
他说：“当我回到我的国家时，我想成为一个教授伊斯兰教、告诉人们如何行善事的人。”
I'm Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
