He died in his sleep at the age of 87 on Friday in his native land of Yoff near Dakar, Senegal.
Since then, tributes to Mbaye Badiane, whom the inhabitants of Évry-Courcouronnes called "the mayor of the Pyramids", have continued to multiply.
“This nickname is Manuel Valls who gave him when he was mayor of Évry, testifies his daughter Diarra, deputy mayor of Évry-Courcouronnes.
Since Friday, I have been receiving lots of messages, from people who knew him in Évry but also in Dakar.
What I notice is that it was exactly the same man in the family as on the outside.
His altruism, his strong character but also his ability to listen come back often.
I wonder where my father found the time and the energy to do all this.
»
His values, made of accuracy and righteousness, Mbaye Badiane forged them within the French army, as a career soldier.
“He was a loving and demanding dad, continues his only daughter.
He always encouraged me to do better, without ever judging me for my faults.
The exchanges were sometimes vigorous but deep down, my father had a big heart.
»
A “big heart” at the service of the neighborhood
This "great heart", Mbaye Badiane will put it for almost 40 years at the service of his adopted city and more particularly of his district.
“When he arrived in Évry in the 1980s, with his military background, Mbaye was one of the important people in the Senegalese community, recalls Saliou Diallo, former deputy mayor and associative comrade of Mbaye.
We co-chaired the Pyramids district council together.
He took head-on the problems that the inhabitants encountered.
Eight hours a day, he received them in his office and acted as intermediary with the town hall.
For those who were most in difficulty, he did not hesitate to come to their personal aid.
»
Mbaye Badiane marked the former mayor of Evry Manuel Valls who remembers an "exceptional man".
DR
Tireless, Mbaye devotes himself entirely to his neighborhood.
“For the elected officials, it was great, notes Manuel Valls, the former Prime Minister who led the city from 2001 to 2012. He could shake up the city's services.
Sometimes some found it a little too intrusive.
But he was present, always there for the inhabitants.
An exceptional man.
»
"It's our uncle"
Recently, with the success of the dormer window in Évry, the municipality had to act as intermediaries between a unifying project created by young people in the neighborhood and the neighbours, who were complaining about noise pollution.
“I remember very well a meeting on the spot where Mbaye was there, just behind, sitting on a low wall, reports the mayor of Évry-Courcouronnes, Stéphane Beaudet (without label).
Like a wise old man, he knew how to reconcile the point of view of some with that of others.
He was there, like a mediator.
Malason, who embodies the success of the Lucarne game, also knew Mbaye Badiane.
“He was very committed as president of the district council, he underlines.
For us, it was the spokesperson for the parents.
He always encouraged us to carry out our projects.
»
Read alsoEvry: The Pyramids, symbol of the new urbanism of the 1970s
Same feeling for Ruben, 31, who has just opened his hot dog shop opposite the Évry 2 shopping center. “It's our uncle, he blurts out behind his counter.
When we met him, we knew it couldn't last more than five minutes.
He was always checking in on family, school.
He told us to complete our studies.
For us young people, he was also our intermediary with the town hall.
We asked him if we wanted a room.
And he took the risk by vouching.
If you wanted to be his friend, you had to follow the rules.
»
Initiator of a great meal on Place Jules-Vallès
Aïsseta Cissé, who created the Génération II association more than 20 years ago, remembers "a generous man" who knew how to ease tensions.
“During the duel of the second which opposed Jacques Chirac to Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2002, the district was inflamed.
Nothing was going well between the African and Turkish communities.
So with Mbaye, we went to get the dads and moms in the neighborhood to calm things down.
We gathered a hundred people and everything calmed down.
»
Today, the traces left by Mbaye Badiane in the district of the Pyramids are not ready to be erased.
“Mbaye is one of those who set up this big meal, place Jules-Vallès, recalls the deputy and former mayor, Francis Chouat (LREM).
Everyone was invited to this meal, the bishop, Rabbi Michel Serfaty.
This meal looks a lot like him.
»