Papa Sakho’s Journey: Art, Exile, Fire, and Survival
Cheikh Sakho (Papa Sakho), born in Dakar, Senegal in 1960, came to the Netherlands in 2000 with hopes of earning money through his painting to support his wife and seven children. He sold his late father’s house to fund the trip but struggled to make a living as an artist.
Eventually, Sakho lost his legal status and began working informally, setting up and taking down market stalls at Amsterdam’s Waterlooplein. He was arrested after a traffic accident and placed in the Schiphol detention center, awaiting deportation.
Just days before the deadly Schiphol fire on October 26, 2005, Sakho switched from Cell 13 to Cell 20 due to a conflict with his Surinamese cellmate. That decision saved his life. The man who remained in Cell 13 died in the blaze.
In 2007, Sakho received a residency permit as part of a general pardon from then-immigration minister Rita Verdonk, who acknowledged the survivors' extraordinary experience. He was given social housing in Amsterdam’s Osdorp, where he still lives.
Haunted for years by guilt over the cellmate’s death, Sakho later met the man’s mother, who forgave him—a moment that brought some peace. Yet trauma remains. He sleeps poorly and receives therapy for ongoing psychological distress.
Slowly returning to his art, Sakho now paints themes of trauma, imprisonment, women’s rights, and the fire that changed his life forever.
