Babakar Diop

Babakar Diop was a character in the French thriller series Lupin. He is portrayed by Fargass Assandé.

Babakar was Assane Diop's father. Originally from Senegal, he immigrated to France with his son and gained employment as a chauffeur for Hubert Pellegrini. When a diamond necklace that had originally belonged to Marie-Antoinette was stolen from Hubert's safe, Babakar was blamed for the crime and incarcerated. Shortly afterward, he was found hanging from a noose in his prison cell.

Throughout Lupin
Having been widowed at an uncertain date, Babakar has decided to leave Senegal for France with Assane. The pair settle in a tower block in one of the Parisian banlieues. In 1995, Babakar gains employment with the wealthy entrepreneur Hubert Pellegrini, working mainly as a chauffeur but also performing other odd jobs around the house. Unbeknownst to Babakar, Hubert specifically hired him with the idea of framing him for the theft of Marie-Antoinette's necklace in order to collect the insurance payout. However, Babakar's position with the family results in him temporarily making more money, which he uses to buy a camera for Assane.



One day, while walking with Assane, Babakar stumbles upon Anne Pellegrini, Hubert's wife. Anne is having difficulties starting her car, and although initially somewhat fearful of Babakar and Assane's intentions, she allows them to examine the vehicle after Babakar explains who they are. Anne asks Assane several questions, including where he and Babakar came from. Eventually Babakar is able to fix Anne’s car and offers to drive her home; Anne tells Assane that Babakar is a gentleman.

While Babakar’s working relationship with Anne is pleasant, Hubert often berates him in a harsh and insulting manner. To apologize for her husband’s behavior, Anne allows Babakar to take a book from the Pellegrinis’ extensive library to give to Assane for his birthday. Babakar’s choice is a collection of stories about the famed gentleman thief Arsène Lupin.

Later, Babakar is brought into Hubert's study, where Marie-Antoinette's necklace has gone missing from a safe. Hubert accuses Babakar of having stolen it, claiming that his fingerprints are on the safe; although Babakar protests his innocence and begs Anne for help, none is forthcoming. Later, after he has been brought to the police station, Anne convinces Babakar to sign a confession to the theft, telling him that it will reduce his time in prison. However, the judge is strict, and gives Babakar the maximum sentence.

While in prison, Babakar prepares a letter for Assane in which he appears to acknowledge his guilt. However, he purposely misspells several words, and includes the name of another inmate, to whom he had entrusted a book carrying a coded message blaming Anne for framing him. Aware of Assane’s intelligence, Babakar believes that his son will be able to figure out both messages.

However, one day, when Babakar is to be visited by Assane, the guards find him hanging from a noose in his cell, dead by an apparent suicide. However, it is later revealed that Léonard murdered him at Hubert's instruction to prevent him from revealing the truth.

Personality and relationships


A loving and altruistic father, Babakar did everything he could to provide for Assane in their new life in Paris. He was honest and respectful, working diligently at his job as a chauffeur for the Pellegrinis, although he was forced to deal with cruel and dismissive treatment from Hubert. Babakar was closer with Anne, who took him and Assane under her wing; however, she failed to prevent Babakar's arrest and ultimately worsened his sentence by convincing him to sign a confession to the necklace theft.

Babakar was proud of his son’s intelligence. He valued proper spelling highly, and worked hard to instill an appreciation for it in Assane, whose knowledge of this personality quirk allowed him to figure out the secret message in Babakar’s false confession. Babakar also held strong views on good behavior and proper etiquette. He was always careful to observe the appropriate form of address to his superiors, and stated that he did not trust people who failed to be punctual. This made him an ideal employee, although perhaps not best-suited for Hubert's purposes; indeed, Gabriel Dumont found it hard to believe that Babakar had actually committed the necklace theft due to his otherwise impeccable character.

Appearances

 * Part One


 * Chapter 1
 * Chapter 2
 * Chapter 3


 * Part Two


 * Chapter 10

Etymology
Babakar is a variant spelling of Babacar. Both names may be derived from Aboubacar, which itself is ultimately from Abu Bakr, the name of the first Islamic caliph.

Diop is the second most common surname in Senegal, and the 15th most common in Mauritania. It originates with the Wolof ethnic group native to West Africa. The totem of the Diop clan is the peacock.

Trivia

 * Babakar appears to have been inspired by both of Arsène Lupin's parents. In the original stories, Lupin's mother, Henriette d'Andrésy, was mistreated by a wealthy family that employed her and falsely accused by them of stealing a necklace, while his father, Theophraste Lupin, died in prison.
 * Babakar is ranked as the 6th most popular character in the series on the online tracking platform TV Time.