Sangha of Auspicious Companions

The Last Newspaper Hawker in Paris

Ali Akbar, the voice of Paris’ 6th arrondissement, is believed to be the last newspaper hawker in Paris. For more than 50 years, he has made the rounds on his secondhand bicycle. Last month, an old customer — French President Emmanuel Macron — named him a knight in the National Order of Merit, one of France’s highest honors. At 73, Akbar still works seven days a week, 10 hours a day, although now he’s lucky to make about 60 euros – about $70 – a day. Born in Pakistan, the oldest of 10 children, he grew up in poverty but dreamed of building his mom a house. After he wound up in Paris in 1973, an Argentinian friend suggested selling newspapers in the Latin Quarter. Eventually he built his mother her house, and he and his wife, Aziza, raised five sons in Paris. In his neighborhood, people say Akbar has given them something priceless — a chance for daily human connection. “He’s interested in you, and then you’re interested in him,” says a longtime customer. “And this is very rare now in the big cities.”

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