Malian migrant hero, Gassama receives BET Humanitarian Heroes award

Malian migrant, Mamaoudou Gassama, on Sunday became one of the first recipients of the BET Humanitarian Heroes award.

Gassama, who has been nicknamed ‘African spiderman,’ was presented the award alongside five other persons at the BET awards, which held on Sunday in Los Angeles, USA.


The 22-year-old Malian native’s path to the award started when he rescued a 4-year-old dangling from a fourth-floor balcony in Paris in May.

Of the heroic moment, Gassama told Le Parisien: “I did not think of the floors … I did not think of the risk. I did it because it’s a child.”

Gassama has been given French citizenship, as well as a fire-fighter job.

The other 2018 BET Humanitarian Heroes include James Shawn Jr., Anthony Borges, Naomi Wadler, Justin Blackman, and Shaun King.