Held hostage by al-Qaeda: my desert odyssey

Lives Less Ordinary

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.6 • 814 Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Edith Blais was kidnapped by armed militants and held captive in the Sahara for 450 days.

As a young French-Canadian who had overcome her teenage agoraphobia, Edith took several years to work up the courage to go travelling – but once she did it, she got the bug. In 2018 she backpacked to West Africa with her good friend Luca Tacchetto. When they got to Benin they were kidnapped by armed militants and taken to the desert in a lawless area of Mali, where groups linked to al-Qaeda were known to operate.

The couple pretended to be husband and wife so they could stay together but Edith soon found herself held captive alone, kept in isolation for long periods of time. As well as suffering physically with dehydration and starvation, she had to find different techniques to keep her mind strong and stay sane. A borrowed pen enabled her to write poetry, and she sang songs to remind herself of her own voice.

After agreeing to convert to Islam she was eventually reunited with Luca. By this time they had been held for 14 months, and they knew they had to break free. But with their captors never more than a few feet away from them, how would they do it? Edith spoke to Jo Fidgen in 2021 about how forces of nature aided their staggering escape. Edith's book about her time in captivity is called The Weight of Sand.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Katy Takatsuki

Picture: Edith Blais Credit: Sara Mauve Ravenelle

Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, so I'd like to tell you where you'll find more just like it.
0:05.6	I'm Izzy Lee Poulton, an assistant commissioner for BBC Sounds, which means I'm involved in the whole podcast making process.
0:12.2	Whether that's developing fresh formats or facilitating eye-catching artwork, I helped project manage all the details that make our podcast stand out.
0:19.7	At the BBC, we've got access to storytellers and experts across a huge range of subjects.
0:24.4	It could be psychologists, comedians, celebrities or journalists.
0:28.6	No podcast or day looks the same here.
0:31.6	So no matter what you like, check out BBC Sounds.
0:34.1	There's probably another podcast on there that you're absolutely love.
0:38.5	After the 20th day, they took water from us. It's really hot in the desert and you're already very
0:44.5	fragile from not eating. I remember at one point I was just laying down and there was a little
0:50.2	wind and I was concentrated all day on the wind on my lips, trying to put all my attention
0:56.7	on the sensation, just to put my head on something else than thirst. Really, I actually, I thought
1:05.3	I was going to die. In 2018, Canadian Edith Blay and a friend were kidnapped in West Africa
1:16.7	and held captive in the desert by jihadists from Al-Qaeda.
1:20.8	To survive, Edith had to dig deeper than she'd ever gone before.
1:25.7	For many long months, she had just the stars and a spider for company.
1:37.6	You're listening to Lives Less Ordinary
1:39.8	from the BBC World Service.
1:41.8	I'm Joe Fidgen.
1:42.8	This episode is longer than many. We are going on the most
1:46.3	incredible journey. To start at the beginning, Edith had always longed to leave Canada and travel
1:56.2	the world, but there was a problem. From the age of 14, she started having panic attacks
	...

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