Senegalese youth on the streets for change

RNW - “I never thought Senegal would get to a stage when the police would beat us and shoot at us just because we are asking the president to leave power. I never thought that some would die in a brutal way for merely exercising their democratic right to protest,” says a 24-year-old Senegalese named Lemzo. He is a former street trader responding to reports that a student had just been run over by a police truck.

Lemzo is one of the thousands of young Senegalese who are gathering at the popular Place De l’Obelisque to call on President Abdoulaye Wade not to run for a third term. Wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned with a message to Wade to not use force to his bid to stay in power, Lemzo sits on a tiny wooden box and looks on as his colleagues set car tires on fire.

by Sheriff Bojang Jnr, Dakar

Lemzo was forced out of business last year due to the high cost of goods. Currently working as a newspaper vendor, he earns very little to take home to his family.

Mistrust rising
The mistrust between the youth and the Senegalese government has only worsened in recent months. “All these things – the killings, the injuries, the burning of car tires, everything – could have been avoided if the president lived up to the young people’s expectations or at least listened to them after failing them,” says Lemzo.

Since 23 June when nationwide protests forced the president to withdraw his controversial plan of constitutional reforms, the youth have formed groups to better coordinate street protests.

Youth grievances
“The young people have been angry and frustrated for a long time but the president was too blind to see this reality,” according to Lemzo. “Wade thought he was untouchable and he still thinks he’s the only good citizen. And now we’re in a crisis and we’re taking the fight all the way to his palace. But he’s still too ignorant to see it.”

The Constitutional Council’s ruling in favour of Wade’s bid for a third term as president is the immediate reason behind the latest riots across Senegal. However youth grievances remain at the heart of the matter. Young protesters often cite unemployment and the general lack of other opportunities as reasons for their involvement in the protests.

Can’t just sit at home 
Mame Aida, a final year university student, agrees that the “Constitutional Council blah-blah” is just the outer, cosmetic, reason behind the protests.

“The real reason why we have over ten thousand people here is because almost all of them are unemployed and hopeless. My parents would kill me if they knew I am out here protesting. But I can’t just sit at home and do nothing while my colleagues are out here fighting for my future,” says Aida who is very worried about finding a job after she graduates later this year.

“Sometimes I wonder if there’s any point to go to school. Even if you graduate, you still have to be the luckiest person around to actually get a job. But with what I have seen here, I am hopeful that before I graduate the president will be forced to leave and perhaps the next president will create jobs. So I am excited. Let’s protest!"

Hands raised

In one of his first rallies after he came to power in 2000, Wade faced thousands of young people in the crowd and asked those without a job to raise their hands. Thousands raised their hands and the then-popular president promised to create jobs for them. But for Mame Aida, “those thousands of hands are still raised because they are still jobless.”

The young people’s protests are gaining momentum across the country but so far there are no signs that Wade will listen and quit. But he remains a leader full of surprises. As one radio commentator put it: “Wade can wake up tomorrow and announce he’s stepping down.”