‘Charles Taylor should have walked free’, Taylor trial judge

Justice El Hadji Malick Sow

New African - December 2012: The Senegalese judge, Justice El Hadji Malick Sow, served as an alternate judge for Trial Chamber II of the Special Court of Sierra Leone that tried the former Liberian president, Charles Taylor. For the five years that the trial lasted, Justice Sow sat on the bench with three other ‘main’ judges who presided over the trial in rotation. As alternate judge, Justice Sow’s job was to step in and act as a ‘main’ judge whenever any of the three main judges was unable to sit. He says during the five years, he “worked harder than anybody else because I took it very seriously. For me it was a very important trial because I was the only judge from the West African sub-region, and as such, I couldn’t come back home, face my people, and tell them lies about what I didn’t see or cannot justify.”

Justice Sow’s conscientiousness and determination to apply the law as demanded by the Statutes of the Special Court and the international criminal justice system, made it unpopular with the other judges on the case, to the extent that they isolated him at the crucial “deliberations” stage of the trial where the guilt or innocence of the accused was decided by the judges.

Senegal: No honeymoon for new president

Wade and Macky at presidential palace

New African - May 2012 - After 12 years in power, President Abdoulaye Wade finally bowed out following defeat by his protégé and former Prime Minister, Macky Sall, in last month’s runoff vote. The election followed weeks of riots in major cities and towns across the country over Wade’s decision to run for a third term. As Sheriff Bojang Jnr reports from Dakar, expectations are high for the new president.

Two months ago, there were fears Senegal would plunge into an election-related civil war. In the run up to the March polls, opposition activists, mainly young people took the streets of Dakar and elsewhere for weeks demanding that President Wade withdraw his controversial third term bid. 

Senegalese president admits defeat in election

Thousands celebrate in streets of Dakar as Macky Sall defeats Abdoulaye Wade in runoff

By Afua Hirsch and Sheriff Bojang Jr in Dakar
guardian.co.uk, Monday 26 March 2012

It is the story African voters live in fear of – a democratically elected leader flouts the constitution to extend his term in office, then refuses to cede power. For the past two months, voters in Senegal have been questioning whether their proud west African democracy would suffer the same fate.

But with one phone call on Sunday night, Senegal's 85-year-old president, Abdoulaye Wade, has finally confirmed the resilience of Senegal's political system, conceding victory to the opposition leader, Macky Sall, as early results showed a clear victory in runoff elections. 

DJ Zeyna in the house

RNW - Under the name of DJ Zeyna, a teenager overcame social stigmas to follow her dream of becoming Senegal’s first pro female DJ.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr, Dakar

In a long queue of dozens of fellow graduates, 19-year-old Seynabou Ndoye – aka DJ Zeyna – is having one of the most memorable and emotional moments of her life. After months of hard work and defying the odds, Seynabou Ndoye is graduating from Senegal’s only hip hop school, Hip Hop Akademy. With this intensive DJ-ing course under her belt, she’s on her way to become the country’s first professional female DJ.

Hip Hop Akademy, located in the outskirts of Dakar, was set up by a group of local artists and sponsored by the US Embassy in Senegal and the NGO Trust Africa. Its aim is to scout and develop young talents.

Unrest in Senegal as opponents tell president to cancel looming election

Abdoulaye Wade, seeking a third term after pledging to serve only two, plans to allow weekend poll to go ahead

It is one of west Africa's more stable democracies, often singled out as an example to its benighted regional rivals. But Senegal is teetering on the edge of the kind of electoral confrontation that has troubled the likes of Ivory Coast and Liberia recently.

In the worst riots in the country for decades, thousands of opposition activists have taken to the streets daily for the past month in protest at a decision by the country's constitutional council to allow the incumbent president, Abdoulaye Wade, to run for a third term in the election this weekend.

Senegal: Why anti-Wade protests and momentum might end in heartbreak

Like all other street protests in recent years, I was out there in the streets of Dakar on Friday evening for another round of the so-called citizen protest aimed at stopping Senegal’s octogenarian president, Abdoulaye Wade from running for a controversial third term.

By 6pm, thousands of protesters scattered around the ‘forbidden’ independence square, the epicenter of opposition protest in recent days. They are Senegalese citizens from all regions across this beautiful West African nation. They are united by one goal: To force their ageing president to quit.

They wore T-shirts and held placards with such clearly spelt messages as ‘Down with Wade’, ‘We are fed up’, ‘You leave in peace or be forced to leave: It’s your choice’, ‘We are sick of your lies’ and ‘Where are the jobs you promised us, Mr. President’. One cheeky placard held by a young Cafe Touba (local coffee) seller reads, ‘Coffee for all except Goorgui (Wade’s local name)’. 

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.

Nigerian Women scared to bring up birth control

pic courtesy of onislam.net

RNW/Lovematters.info - Christian women in Nigeria talk about birth control more than Muslim women do, a new study found.

Women are often nervous of bringing up family planning with their husbands, especially in the mainly Muslim north where polygamy is quite common. God is the provider and women have no right to stop giving birth, people say.

Thirty percent of Muslim women say they’ve talked about family planning with their husband compared to 54 percent of Christian women, Love Matters heard at the International Family Planning Conference in Dakar, Senegal. The figures come from a study by the US-based Bloomberg School of Public Health working with Nigerian family planning organisation NURHI.

President Youssou Ndoure? Hell no… not 2012

Youssou Ndoure the musician is bigger than Senegal. To describe him as a mere music super star is an understatement. He is bigger than that… much bigger. He is an icon. His charm rocks the world. His influence and presence boost Africa’s image from afar. And above all, his artistic journey is the perfect riposte to anyone who doubts Africa’s contribution to the rest of the world.

The New York Times described Youssou Ndoure’s voice as an “arresting tenor, a supple weapon deployed with prophetic authority”.  Rolling Stone described him as "perhaps the most famous singer alive" in Senegal and much of Africa.

Mbalax revolution
In the 1970s, the then little known and young Youssou began a music career in his home city of Dakar. Within two decades, he rose to international fame thanks to his brand new genre: a mixture of less fancied Senegalese mbalax (mainly the param parum param sound of drums) with Cuban samba, American hip hop, jazz, rock and soul. This is Youssou’s creation! Today, millions of people from all over the world form his fan base.

Senegal: Pressure, fear and uncertainty ahead of polls

Wade insists he can run again

Until six months ago, the chance of instability, major violence (or call it civil unrest) in Senegal was as slim as the Iranian leader, Ahmedinejad finally accepting that the Holocaust did happen.

But with less than two months before the Senegalese voters head to the polls, that chance is now as big as average British Premiership club, Tottenham finishing this season without any trophy.

For once, the vulnerability of this great nation is quickly emerging.

Latest events have shown that Senegal is no longer different from any other country on the continent. Continuous peace is possible. But something else other than peace is also possible.

First, it was the wild June 27 street riots that ended with the burning and looting of houses of government ministers and other senior officials. This followed the torching of several official vehicles four days earlier by anti-government supporters over planned constitutional amendment.

Worldwide Focus on Family Planning Begins at West African Forum

DAKAR, Senegal – The second International Conference on Family Planning Tuesday opened in the capital here, aiming to draw on renewed political support and funding for family planning, as well as highlighting new contraception research.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr - for UNFPA

Two years after the first conference in Kampala, Uganda, more than 2,000 experts, first ladies, ministers, decision-makers, donors, researchers, practitioners and advocates are gathering through Dec. 2 to share success stories and ideas and identify key accomplishments and shortcomings. They will also advocate for broad family planning access and support around the world.

The conference is organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Senegalese government in collaboration with, among others, the UN Population Fund, UNFPA.

Senegal: Beach parties and death traps

RNW - July 25, 2011 - The Senegalese capital, Dakar, is a wild party spot known for its non-stop music, exotic sandy beaches, modern amusement parks and trendy nightclubs.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr

July, August and September are the most exciting and busiest summer months especially for young people in Senegal. In these months, thousands head to the beach everyday to party and they are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing which of the many exotic beaches to go to.

Scant recognition for ex-soldiers in Senegal

RNW - July 19, 2011 - Soldiers in Senegal face a bleak future when leaving the armed forces due to inadequate training during service.

Thousands of Senegalese soldiers are currently serving on UN and African Union peacekeeping missions in various countries including Darfur, Liberia and Ivory Coast. Several thousand more are, or have been, deployed to the Casamance region of Senegal where a separatist rebellion is simmering.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr.

Yet despite the demand for military personnel there are approximately 40,000 ex-soldiers in Senegal. Half of these have left the armed forces in the last decade.

Joblessness everywhere
Alassane was 19 years when he joined the military. He enlisted partly because his childhood friend, who was already a soldier, convinced him that the army would open the gateway to employment and success.

These are no Laambs!

New African - July 2011 - Traditional wrestling in Senegal, popularly known as Laamb has now become the nation’s number one sport, overtaking football which used to be the main national game. As Sheriff Bojang Jnr reports from Dakar, Laamb brings excitement and unity to the people.

From the rearview mirrors of taxis to street corner shops, portraits of wrestlers are the easiest you can find in Senegal, a country where until recently, wrestling was too primitive for many people’s liking.

Interestingly, wrestling started in Senegal in small villages where farmers wrestled for honour, masculinity and respect during the dry or ‘idle’ season. There was no financial reward. Today, wrestling is a fast growing career in the country. Wrestlers have become celebrities and in fact some attract thousands of fans. Sometimes, fans camp out their houses for hours either to have a glimpse of them or have their photos taken with them.

Your hands off our fish

Fishermen in Senegal have been at loggerheads with the government over the ‘illegal’ presence of foreign fishing trawlers in the Senegalese waters. In April, thousands of the angry fishermen from fishing villages and towns across the country turned their backs on the sea in a ‘no fishing day’ protest against the foreign boats. It was one of the series of actions they plan to challenge the government’s decision to allow at least 20 foreign fishing trawlers to fish in Senegal where fishing is one of the main sources of income.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr.

Kayar, 52km northwest of Dakar, is Senegal’s third largest fishing center. Like other fishing centers, fishing is the sole source of income in this village. For most of the thousands of fishermen, fishing is a family affair. They inherited it from the parents at a very tender age.

Senegal’s lifesaving board game

RNW - June 2, 2011 - Board games like monopoly, scrabble and ludo are used for fun and relaxation. But in a tiny, remote Senegalese village, a new board game is saving lives.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr, Dakar

The Wure, Were, Werle, or W3, is a safe motherhood game introduced in Khombole village, east of Senegal’s capital Dakar by Plan International and other organisations to raise women’s awareness of maternal and child health.

Maternal mortality in Senegal is estimated at 1,200 per 100,000 births. The high rate is partly attributed to illiteracy and lack of adequate health information, particularly in the rural areas.

At the Khombole Health Centre, Coura and other young mothers are surrounded by a group of women as they play the W3 game. Every playing card shows a cultural image and typical cultural notions and proverbs are written underneath.

Winning the game
Scrolling her fingers on the three-coloured deck of the wooden box, Coura explains: “Red shows the risk factors, yellow represents the detection methods and green is the solution.”

Mobile technology saves pregnant women in Senegal

RNW - June 1 - During her first three pregnancies she would either forget her appointments or she just wouldn't bother to go to the health center. Fatou Tine, a 25-year-old mother of four from Khombole village east of the Senegalese capital Dakar, had the habit of missing her appointments with health specialists.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr

She had no access to basic health information until two years ago. She also didn’t have a cell phone. The explosion of mobile technology across the world didn’t make her life any different.

But when Fatou was pregnant of her fourth child, she never missed an appointment thanks to a mobile text message service introduced to her village by Plan International and a consortium of six other organisations to promote safe motherhood.

The project started in Khombole 2009 in response to women’s habitual failure to visit the health centre for checkups and counseling. According to Deguene Fall of Plan International, 150 women were given free cell phones initially as an experiment.

Messages send to illiterates
Through the project, women receive regular text messages sent from a central server in Dakar about their antenatal, delivery, postnatal and newborn care. They are monitored during the pregnancy, and those at high risk are brought in for check-ups.

Khombole women display their phones

Showing her basic Nokia cell phone, Fatou says “Over the past few months, I’ve received at least four text messages about my appointments with doctors and the vaccination of my children. I have personally seen its effect because my last pregnancy was much easier than the three previous ones thanks to the messages I received on my phone.”

Senegal: Dakar’s classic thieves

RNW - May 12 - Open any tour guide book on Senegal and you will come across the same warnings: Be careful of robbers, watch out for thieves and be aware of pick-pockets when you are in a crowd.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr, Dakar

Besides its beautiful weather, sandy beaches, attractive architecture and the warm hospitality of its people, the Senegalese capital Dakar is known for its high rate of street robbery.

Snatch and run
With tourists and expatriates as main victims, the robbers normally snatch bags, wallets, cell phones and other belongings from people in the streets, markets, nightclubs and other public areas. Usually, the robbers would be suspicious-looking disgruntled youths in their dirty clothes and their trick would be snatch and run.

Maxima the grassroots princess visits Senegal

RNW - May 12 - Princess Maxima has already won the hearts of the Dutch people and now she looks set to win those of Africans. As part of her West African tour of Senegal and Mali, the Crown Princess of the Netherlands is acting as a UN advocate for inclusive finance in the fight against poverty. Her goal? To prove that microfinance can turn dreams into cash and self-reliance.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr

Inside the PAMECAS microfinance office in Dakar, about a dozen middle-aged women sit quietly waiting to be served by one of the microfinance officers.

All these women are brought together by a common enemy: poverty. And they turn to microfinance for a way out.

Princess Maxima of the netherlands

Escaping poverty
Ndeye Toure is a 48-year-old mother of three young children. Her husband was a factory worker in the suburbs of Dakar in the 1990s but was laid off due to poor health. With no job or earnings, Ndeye couldn’t send her kids to school.

In order to put food on the table for her family, she cooked for people in her neighborhood whenever they have occasions such as weddings and christening ceremonies. She earned just enough to buy three loaves of bread for her sick husband and the three kids.

Forgotten by Senegal, honoured by the US

On Sunday May 29, 1994 Senegalese army captain, Mbaye Diagne rang his wife, Yacine Mar Diop from a military base in Rwanda, where he was serving with the UN peacekeeping team.

By Sheriff Bojang Jnr.

RWN - April 15 - Cpt. Diagne’s final words to his wife: ‘We are completing our mission in 12 days and I’ll come home. Tell everybody at home to pray for me’.
 
Similar name

Two days later on the fateful day of May 31, Yacine was at home when a relative informed her that RFI had announced the death of a UN soldier with a similar name as her husband. When she tuned in to listen, she was confused as the radio broadcaster announced the family name of the dead soldier as Ndiaye instead of Diagne, even though the rank and first name were right and it was clear the soldier was a Senegalese UN peacekeeper in Rwanda.