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Published: February 27th 2012
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old politics
he had me as a captive audience - as he is the first real, live man i have met who was brought to france to fight against hitler. the african soldiers were treated horribly. a seperate but nightmarish history. While it is with moderate lightness in Senegal that i can throw around salaam aleikums, and with tempered righteousness that I can accept being banned from the inside of most mosques - it is with absolute sincerity that I nodded in accordance with the wish of many of my friends upon leaving:
Please. Pray for Senegal. And every non-believer cell of me is…
As like never before in Senegal, there is "political unrest" over what most consider to be the illegal candidacy of the current president (Wade) for the next presidential office term. As it is Wade himself who had made an amendment to the constitution capping a president's reign two terms - yet he now is running for a third.
Will the people hold their president to his own decision and to their own constitution?
Let us hope that they do - peacefully, through a "free election" vote.
Voting closed yesterday on 26 February. And from what I can triangulate,
there was "minimal" aka acceptable corruption. Several villages in the south didn't vote because of SMS messages they got on their cell phones which threatened them with death if they voted. Then there is
new politics
i'd rather Youssou in power. he already has the people wrapped around his pinky finger. the alleged 10,000 CFA (about 20 US Dollars) that was offered to residents in a suburb of Dakar to vote for Wade (the current president). Then there were some districts where two of the major contenders' names were somehow left off the ballot.
The people have tried to stop Wade in the past few months by
rallying rap lyrics and hailing stones. And while nothing compares to the violence in other African countries, seeing the tumult, pain and fear in the Senegalese people was traumatic for this toubab - and for the Senegalese i think.
And emotionally confusing…as on one hand, the violence is upsetting, the 15+ deaths a waste (as people died while trying to simply march down the street in protest - which the president put a ban on demonstrating)…and on the other hand, RISE UP!
And that the people did…in Dakar, in suburbs, in cities around the country. While never too close to the action, we grabbed t.v. where we could, asked folks what was up, and asked them their opinions -
as one of the sure signs of democracy in Senegal is that people appear seemingly free to say what they want, and stand up for your rights
mocking the disasterous sculpture Wade blew bagillions of dollars on. i cannot begin to describe the atrocity of this thing. you will have to come see for yourself. everyone agrees to the importance of the freedom of marching in the streets (the quasi-violent demonstrations were televised 24-7 to the tune of Chariots of Fire).
In all of my gentle probing, many of the people out in the bush said they would vote for Wade again, whereas most anyone in a city was vehemently against him. After the (hopefully) accidental
tear-gassing of a praying group of men, women and children at a mosque on a Friday afternoon…I wonder if previous Wade supporters have come around to seeing that the nonsensical violence and the blind chucking of a tear-gas grenade into a mosque were no dumber than Wade's erroneous decision to run again.
How many bagillion dollars he invested in some stupid statue is not my seed of discontent, it is rather what he has done to a country, to a people, that have worked for and are accustomed to democracy and have thrived within…Wade has shattered that. I hope only temporarily.
As singer and UN Ambassador
Youssou N'Dour said (in response to his own petition to run for president, which was denied under absurd reasoning by the committee):
"They are afraid of me because they
know that Senegal was asleep, and I woke it up. Senegal is not a deed for a house belonging to Abdoulaye Wade." (Huffington)
And though the Islamic brotherhoods of course pull most strings and top most bank accounts…at least there has been peace and slow progress in the country. The imams have kept quiet though - and the one Christian service I went to advised their congregation in closing with this:
We will not tell you whom to vote for. We trust you to choose well. You will choose the candidate who stands for democracy. You will choose the candidate that has genuine interest in humanity. You will choose a candidate who is not seeking power and fortune and fame. You will choose a candidate based on who you think is the best, not because someone tells you you must choose that candidate. I was impressed, and moved, and continue to be emotionally caught up in this until there is hopefully a democratic result. Until then, I am on edge on hoping that Senegal pulls through this and remains the shining star of democracy, transparency and stability on an unstable continent, in an
political views
at least the sculpture provides a nice vantage point - and great stairs for joggers. unstable world…and well, I am also "praying" that my friends there are above all safe, assured, and are able to maintain their spirit of warmth, optimism, entrepreneurialism, humor, and groove. Pray with me?
More fotos below... AND Stay tuned in: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17169564
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/26/world/africa/senegal-qa/index.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/senegal-elections_n_1239159.html
http://www.seneweb.com/news/Politique/presidentielle-au-senegal-retour-sur-la-journee-de-vote-du-premier-tour_n_60192.html
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