On Sept. 28, under the lights of Wickwire Field, Wilfreid Kindo barreled in to score his first goal as a Dalhousie Tiger off a corner kick, against the University of New Brunswick.
It took three years to find the back of the net, but it only made it that much sweeter for Kindo.
“It was unbelievable,” Kindo said. “Seeing how the team was so happy for me — to help the team in that way made it an unbelievable feeling that I don’t think I’ll be able to recreate.”
Finding his way to Dal
The path to Dalhousie University was never clear for Kindo. Kindo grew up in the french-speaking Burkina Faso (BFA), a small African country wedged between Mali and Ghana. The country sees violence due to terrorism and political instability forcing nearly 10 per cent of its population to flee the country. Kindo said growing up there was very different from Canada in every aspect, and credited his teammates at Dalhousie for helping him get accustomed to his new home.
He said soccer was also different in the BFA. Kindo would play on dirt and said street soccer was a common sight, comparing it to the way they play on the streets in Brazil. Kindo said it was much more physical there, and you were either technically gifted or you leaned into the physical side.
“It’s very different in that sense,” Kindo said.
After graduating from high school in BFA, Kindo wanted a better life for himself and decided to start his university career abroad. Kindo left home alone after finishing high school and travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to The United States. Though Canada was one of his top choices, Kindo had a brother living in Georgia at the time, so he decided it was best to move there. The civil engineering student played club soccer during his time south of the border and always had the dream of playing for his university, but the cost was too expensive for him.
It was hard to live in The United States as an international student, as Kindo had to pay much more to study there. Kindo decided a move to Canada would be the right choice.
During his decision process of where to go, he was stuck between the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, Queen’s University and of course, Dalhousie. Kindo talked to representatives from Dal and found out he would be the first student to come from BFA.
“That was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come here and explore the city of Halifax,” Kindo said.
Kindo met with the men’s soccer head coach, Alan Jazic, who saw Kindo’s untapped potential. The six-foot defender wasn’t able to make the team for the 2021-22 season but he continued to work and stayed in touch with Jazic. Kindo tried out for the team the next season and was named to the full roster.
The work did not stop there. Kindo worked hard to make a name for himself on the team, increasing the depth of his role each year. Two years after making the team, Kindo was an integral part of a Tigers’ backline, starting in all but one game on a team who finished fourth in Atlantic University Sport (AUS).
Advice to other African students
Kindo had never been to Canada before he moved and had never even heard of Halifax. He credits Jazic, his teammates, Tim Maloney, (the assistant vice president of athletics) and Cindy Tye, the women’s head soccer coach and director of athletics at Dal, for making his move as seamless as possible.
When asked about what advice he would give to other Black students, Kindo said to speak up and reach out for help on matters on and off the pitch.
“We live in a world where it is very cliché to ask for help,” Kindo said. “We feel like asking for help is quote-unquote weak, but it’s nothing close to that. It’s actually showing that you need help and you want to learn and meet people.”
Kindo said when he left BFA he was closed minded and by himself, but he grew to be comfortable with people enough to ask questions or for help. He said this has made him open to helping others because he sees how much others have assisted him.
“Alan [Jazic] used to say to the whole team actually, he cares more about us as people, as students, and then soccer is another part of life,” Kindo said.
Kindo will be graduating from the civil engineering program at Dalhousie University this spring.
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