From Ivory Coast's civil war to Bermuda — one boy's perspective
March 29, 2007 –- His experience in a civil war, motivated a young Bermudian student to educate his peers and students in a bit of a role reversal.
Hamadi Gadio, is an M5 student at the Somersfield Academy and in order for him to graduate had to complete a personal project for which he chose to recount his already incredible autobiography at only the age of 15.
Hamadi was born in New York, however, his father, who works for the African Development Bank, was transferred to the Ivory Coast when Hamadi was 11.
Hamadi, his brother, mother and father all moved to Abidjan, a city in the South considered the administrative capital of the country, in 2002.
In September of the same year the second civil war in the country's history began after Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt.
The first civil war occurred in December 1999, after a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government.
After the second, rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government, however, issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remain unresolved.
Hamadi, for his project recounted the very personal way, the coup and civil war effected his life, as well as giving a brief history of a country, which so much shaped his life.
He remembers not being allowed to go outside to play in the garden and having to duck down when inside for fear of bullets passing by.
His mother, who is Bermudian, worked at a cell phone company and during the peak of the civil war it was completely destroyed.
The rebels targeted all forms of communication, which might allow Ivorians to reach the outside world, essentially cutting the country off.
Luckily his mother was not in the building when it was destroyed.
This, however, did not provide much comfort and eventually Hamadi went to a boarding school in France and his brother and mother moved back to Bermuda while his father remained for his position in the Chief of Justice Department.
Hamadi's courageous journey was not only limited to his experience in the Ivory Coast, but also after only moving to Bermuda in March of last year, presented his autobiography in fluent English - his second language.
Reaction to his work was emotional and he said: "Teachers were really emotional and everyone said it was very good and were going to make their sons and daughters read it."