"That's life," as the saying goes. But some lives, by their intensity, their intellectual demands, and their humility, leave an imprint that refuses to fade.

I met Mame Less Camara when he was a philosophy student and I was still in primary school. We already shared moments of reflection and conviviality over tea with his close friend Demba Tandian, who himself bore the name of his elder. He took me under his wing very early on, alongside Amadou Diop Sylla. I must have been barely twelve years old. Since then, we have never been apart.

After first moving to the Teachers' Residence in 1990, and then, three (3) years later, to the SCAT Urbam Residence, Mame Less always remained faithful to our Saturday evening intellectual gatherings, starting at 5 p.m.: sometimes at Demba's, sometimes at the entrance to the "Tool" buildings. These talks were like informal schools, where free speech, critical thinking, and mutual listening reigned supreme.

A philosopher by training, having earned a master's degree, he continued his studies at CESTI before embarking on a journalistic career at Radio Saint-Louis, then in Dakar, at the Senegalese Radio and Television (RTS). But Mame Less was not an ordinary journalist: he was above all a free spirit.

Aware of the obligations associated with his status as a civil servant, he chose to write under a pseudonym. Thus was born "The Chronicle of Abou Sow," published every Friday. This column quickly became an essential feature, eagerly awaited by the country's intellectuals and cultural figures. It first appeared in Walf Fadjri (magazine format), then in WALF in tabloid format.

For a long time, the secret of its author's true identity was jealously guarded. One day, however, President Abdou Diouf couldn't help but confide to Mame Less all his admiration for… Abou Sow, without yet fully revealing the truth.

President Abdoulaye Wade, too, fell under the intellectual spell of this brilliant, iconoclastic, and profoundly humble journalist. In 2000, he dispatched the Minister of Communication, Mamadou Diop Decroix, to offer him the position of Director General of RTS. Mame Less declined the offer. Later, he explained his reasons to me, with the quiet lucidity that characterized him.

Despite a brief falling out in 2001, President Wade's esteem for him never wavered. He personally went to the Main Hospital to organize and fully cover his medical evacuation, including accompanying his wife, Kinè, in a gesture of great humanity.

Subsequently, Mame Less chose to step back, focus on passing on his knowledge, and provide discreet guidance. He was involved in the creation of numerous media groups (Le Matin, Envi FM, RFM, among others). Demba Tandian and I often urged him to create a media group worthy of his talent and stature. He always refused.

Why? Probably because Mame Less liked neither money nor the limelight. He preferred the essential to the superfluous. Simple, deeply humane, a natural teacher, he remained faithful to his first love: wisdom.

As the Ancients reminded us, "to philosophize is to learn how to live." Mame Less, however, taught us above all how to think, how to doubt with elegance, and how to remain modest in the face of Knowledge.

A great man has passed away.

Grand Less, rest in peace.

Momar Talla SOCK

General Administrator

SOCOPAO Senegal