The Swimming Teacher

Amara Diop, 55, teaches swimming in the public pools and, increasingly, in the cleaned sections of the Seine near Paris. Her mission: ensuring every child can swim, regardless of background.

"I nearly drowned in the Senegal River when I was eight. The current grabbed me, pulled me under. My uncle saved me, but I had nightmares for years. When my family moved to France, I was terrified of water.

"At lycée, swimming was mandatory. I panicked. The teacher, Madame Bernard, was patient. 'Water can be friend or enemy,' she said. 'Let's make it your friend.' Slowly, I learned. More than learned—I discovered I loved swimming. Water, which almost killed me, became my element.

"I became a swimming teacher to pass on what Madame Bernard gave me. In the banlieues, many kids can't swim. No money for pools, parents who fear water, cultures where swimming isn't common. But France has so much water—rivers, canals, coasts. Not swimming is dangerous.

"I started programs offering free lessons. We use public pools, but my dream was river swimming. When sections of the Seine were declared clean enough, I organized the first classes. The mayor came for photos. More importantly, kids who'd never touched river water learned to swim where kings once sailed.

"Each child I teach breaks a chain of fear. Aminata from Mali, whose mother forbids her to near water. Ahmed from Syria, who saw friends drown in the Mediterranean. Océane from the housing projects, who thought swimming was for rich kids. They all learn water doesn't discriminate.

"Last summer, I taught a grandmother. Sixty-eight years old, never swam, granddaughter embarrassed that mamie couldn't join her at the beach. Three months later, she swam across the Marne. Her whole family came to watch. She emerged like she'd conquered Everest.

"Water is life, but only if you can navigate it. Every person I teach to swim gains freedom—to enjoy rivers, to save themselves, to save others. In a country built on waterways, swimming is citizenship. The rivers belong to everyone, but only swimmers can claim them fully."