Sophie Boudre on Jan 8, 2021

(Candle) It is with profound sadness that I learnt today of the passing of Maha.

Maha, tu nous fais encore un coup, reine des surprises. Cette fois-ci pourtant, tu ne nous fais pas rire comme d'habitude, mais tu as choisi de t'envoler, legere, vers la plenitude et la musique du coeur, et tu vas continuer a raconter des histoires, la-haut, c'est sur!

I shared a cubicle with Maha at UN Radio French in 2004-2005 - beyond the office space, our backs to the Chrysler Building, we shared a love of radio as a human connector and a storyteller. I remember the many laughs, the scrambles for the deadline, the headaches or the woman-to-woman conversations. During my time at the radio, she welcomed me like the elder, supportive sister she remained, and demonstrated this larger than life character of hers, full of humanity, with a big heart, but also a fighter's spirit. I remember when Maha started Escales, and pushed for more storytelling and reportage, which was really needed. She was often the one on the other side of the phone line when I was out on reportage overseas, always encouraging, living the stories herself. She was a story. She didnt care if people talked about how she dressed, or criticized her ideas: she followed her track. Of course she was passionate about what she was doing, and with that comes friction, emotion. But what the heck... what she did with Guira FM was amazing, and there in Bangui, she left a legacy, friends and colleagues who respect her drive and her - tough - choices.

Chapeau Maha, tu m'as laisse personne indifferent, et tu en as embarque beaucoup dans ton coeur. J'ai tellement envie d'entendre ton rire!

Je t'embrasse bien fort et danserai pour toi,

Sophie

Sophie Boudre

UN Radio 2004-2005

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