Issa Ndiaye

Issa N'diaye was born in Pikine, Senegal, a suburb of Dakar, on October 10, 1979. His father, a serious Muslim, was married to four women and produced a large family, perhaps more than 25 children. Issa was one of the sons born in the middle of this traditional African household. As a young boy, he dreamed of leaving Senegal and becoming one of three things: an athlete, musician or actor. When he was 21, he left Senegal for Sfax, Tunisia, where he learned to sew. Issa manufactured small bags, traditional clothes and jewelry that he sold in a tourist market until he began working in a international hotel as an aerobics instructor. Four years later he was asked if would like to work in a new hotel belonging to the same company in Marrakech, Morocco. He decided to no longer work in tourism, but before he could legalize his situation in Morocco, his passport expired. Then, Issa's Moroccan adventure began. To earn a living, he renovated apartments for French people moving to Morocco and returned to making clothing from African fabric. After some complications, he eventually obtained his Moroccan residency card, passed his driving test and began to bring cars from Europe to sell in Senegal, selling his first Mercedes 190 Diesel in 2011. Issa's artistic career began in 2006 when he was chosen to "jump for joy and dance" in a commercial for the World Cup that was shot in Marrakech. Small parts in international and Moroccan films followed: Dangerous Parking (2007), Le temps de la kermesse est terminé (2008) Al Bayra (2013) Issa's most recent role was "Mamadou" in Ahmed Boulane's black comedy La Isla de Perejil (2015).