“Six Feet on Earth”: The Man Who Loved the Sea, with Haïdar El Ali

[This article was first published on our site on April 5, 2022, and republished on June 5, 2025]

The oceans cover nearly 71% of our planet's surface. They feed us and regulate the Earth's temperature and climate. But they are under threat.

For this fourth episode of our series Oceans, Sanctuaries or El Dorado?, we gave the floor to Senegalese politician and environmentalist Haïdar El Ali.

Born into a family with Lebanese roots, it was through diving that he discovered the ocean and the impact that humanity has on this environment. As director of the Dakar Oceanium, he has been involved in environmental campaigns since the 1980s, and his commitment led him to become Senegal's Minister of the Environment. This activist journey continues today in the Great Green Wall reforestation project in the Sahel.

For Haïdar El Ali, it is important to remember that the sea is not immortal; it is “a living organism that can be injured and die from it.”

This podcast is co-produced by Courrier International and AFD.

Interview, writing and presentation: Flora Trouilloud

Directed by: Antoine Dabrowski

Music: Kagabas album , by Lion's Drums

With the participation of: Virginie Lepetit, Carole Lembezat, Pascale Boyen, Joffrey Ricome

Six Feet on Earth is dedicated to the planet's major challenges. Each series explores a question and answers it in five episodes with five different speakers: philosopher, scientist, anthropologist, artist, actor, or actress.

All episodes can be listened to or re-listened to here .

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