African Spiderman, Gassama Finally Becomes A French Citizen

22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama who got the African spiderman nickname, after he saved a child hanging off a balcony by scaling a Paris apartment block with his bare hands has become a French citizen, according to a government decree.


The African spiderman who became a French Citizen and got a job in the fire service after the daring rescue in May, had been in France illegally. He was however catapulted to global fame by the extraordinary feat captured in footage, seen by millions on social media.

“This act of great bravery exemplifies the values which help unite our national community, such as courage, selflessness, altruism and taking care of the most vulnerable,” said the official document published Wednesday.

The African spider arrived in France in September 2017 after travelling the perilous Mediterranean migrant route, and found a job in the construction industry despite not having the right to work.