Moussa Sène Absa, École des arts, Sorano… : comment Ibrahima Mbaye est devenu Ibrahima Mbaye Thié
Renowned actor and comedian Ibrahima Mbaye Thié is celebrating 30 years on stage. His artistic destiny began to take shape in middle school, in the eighth grade. While nothing seemed to point him towards the stage, an encounter would change his path: his meeting with his French teacher. This man, passionate about theater, launched a school theater group project and singled out his student with a phrase that now sounds like an oracle: "You, you're going to act," Thié recounts in an interview published this Saturday in Le Soleil.
Initially driven by curiosity, Mbaye quickly became engrossed in learning the texts and the collective energy. This adventure, within the Franco-Senegalese Alliance of Saint-Louis, directed at the time by Habib Kébé, bore fruit: after a second place, the troupe won first prize at the inter-school festival of the French Institute of Dakar.
Moussa Sène Absa
It was in this creative ferment that filmmaker Moussa Sène Absa noticed the man who would later become Ibrahima Mbaye Thié and offered him a role in his film Les Enfants de Popenguine . A revelation: "I discovered a universe that fascinated me... It was a world that seemed both mysterious and wonderful."
The young man's mind left the classroom for the film sets. Although he continued his studies until his penultimate year of high school, his choice was made. The year of his baccalaureate exam, he made a radical decision: he took and passed the entrance exam for the National School of Arts in Dakar: "I said goodbye to the baccalaureate and committed myself to four years of training... What was a childhood passion became a real profession, a vocation."
Before taking the plunge, the aspiring actor had to convince his father. In a context where artistic professions are often perceived as uncertain or risky, the announcement of his departure for Dakar represented a real challenge. Especially since Ibrahima Mbaye Thié considered his father his "mentor, his guide, and his anchor." A man whose opinion mattered above all else.
To convince the demanding patriarch, he had to demonstrate unwavering determination. His father initially dismissed it as a passing enthusiasm, but, true to form, he chose to test his son's resolve. "He observed me, questioned me, pushed me to my limits to gauge the strength of my determination."
Once he obtained permission, he immersed himself in demanding training under the tutelage of the great master Mamadou Diop. For four years, he lived in total immersion, often alone on a bench in the Medina, working on his lyrics until late at night. "Looking back, I realize that this period built everything. It was demanding, but it's where my path truly took shape." Beyond the technical aspects, he acquired human values and a discipline that would stay with him throughout his life.
Sorano, the school of giants
In 1999, fresh out of college, he joined the Daniel-Sorano National Theatre. The challenge was immense: he was one of the few young actors among established stars like Oumar Seck, Ismaila Cissé, and Ndoumbé Diop. "It was a generation of highly experienced actors, artists of great culture and immense artistic standards," he recalls. Mentored by his elders, he quickly made his mark, notably in the lead role of Patrice Lumumba in A Season in the Congo .
Today, these 30 years on stage are experienced as a time of "happiness and almost grace." Yet, he doesn't hide the fact that this profession has "deeply tested" him, to the point where he can no longer tolerate mediocrity. "These thirty years have shaped me in such a way that I can no longer accept certain frivolities or certain baseness. The rigor I demand of myself, I also apply to those around me."
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