In this drawing, I depict a woman holding an old kerosene lamp in one hand and a book in the other. The lamp represents the light of knowledge. In Senegal, such lamps illuminated and warmed entire generations long before the arrival of electricity; for me, it symbolizes the careful transmission of wisdom across time. The book embodies education and civic responsibility. On the cover of the book the globe is resting, Africa is in the center, because the values of our continent deserve to be placed in the center of the global culture.

Behind the figure stands a baobab tree — a sacred tree of life and a symbol of memory and enduring traditions. It reminds us that fidelity to one’s roots and openness to the world are not mutually exclusive. On a branch of the tree sits a rooster announcing the dawn. It is a symbol of awakening, the beginning of a new day, and readiness to face any challenges of the time.

I firmly believe that cultural heritage is not a heavy archive of the past, but a living energy that helps us to build the future. Love of knowledge, ancestral memory, and resilience are not merely local Senegalese characteristics — they are our contribution to the shared heritage of humanity. This is the feeling I sought to express in this drawing, submitted to the competition.