Dr. Sene spoke about the heightened activity of youth in these elections and his hopes for the long-lasting effects this organizing will have on the civic engagement of the youth population in Senegal. He has a lot of faith in Senegal’s youth and is proud to have a president whose young age (relatively speaking) represents that hope in the next generation of emerging leaders. He tipped his hat to both M23 and Y’En A Marre movements. Additionally Dr. Sene commented on the unprecedented violence endorsed by politicians, and used by police, and emphasized the dire importance of peace in a successful democracy.

In the afternoon we went to follow-up with Keyti. He explained that he was not at all surprised by the result of the elections, as simple calculations prior to Sunday would have suggested Wade would be defeated. But, he was surprised by Wade’s prompt reaction to, and recognition of Macky’s victory. Keyti believes the most important mark Macky can leave on his presidency is the strengthening of institutions, and that grassroots groups like Y’En A Marre need to regroup post-election and map out how they can expand to reach goals (like building institutions) of a larger scope than that of removing Wade from power.

After Keyti’s apartment, we went back to the Y’En A Marre compound in Parcelles. There we spoke with Fadel Barro and Thiat. When asked how he felt after the results of Sunday’s second round were announced, Barro said that he immediately began to reflect on the question of what’s next. He explained figuratively that Y’En A Marre will accompany Macky to the door of the presidential palace, but will leave him there and fight him with even more force than they did Wade. In Thiat’s interview, he spoke about the atrocities of Wade’s presidency, Wade’s delusional confidence going into both round one and two of the elections, and the fact that this suggested he had no clue about the current state of the Senegalese people’s sentiments towards him. In terms of Macky, and his prior participation in Wade’s cabinet and whether this suggests that he will go down the same corrupt path, Thiat referenced the story of Moses and Pharaoh. Thiat did mention one good thing about Wade’s candidacy: it exposed all the “fakes”—politicians, journalists, and rappers.

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In the afternoon Dia and Elias went to interview Awadi. He too was pleased with the results of the election, but recognizes the necessity for the continuation of the struggle. Additionally, he spoke about rappers being more organized in their participation in these elections than that of prior elections.

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However, immediately upon arriving at Africulturban I had a lengthy conversation with Matador about yesterday’s events, which scratched below the gleeful surface of what I witnessed yesterday and this morning. Though Matador was glad that Wade was no longer in power, proud of his country for the peaceful electoral process, and cognizant of the heightened awareness that this presidential campaign brought to Senegalese people, he insisted that he expects nothing from Macky. He recalled the 2000 presidential elections, when Wade and the PDS replaced the 40-year reign of the Socialist Party, and everyone thought mass change was on the horizon. Matador explained that he fears a repeat of what he saw during this time period during which people became complacent and simply sat around waiting for someone/something to ameliorate their daily life. He believes the most realistic path to development in Senegal will be through people taking matters into their own hands, to the best of their ability, and working in whatever capacity they can to ameliorate the country. Moreover, Matador stated that he is skeptical of Macky’s political education having been under Wade, and that his election means just a different head continuing the reign of the Senegalese liberal political agenda. Matador is already recording a song directed at Macky.

Amadou Fall Ba, who oversees all the work of Africulturban, was content with the results but mostly because it will bring stability to the country, which allows him to get back to work and planning with more confidence.

Lively debates carried on throughout the day between the skeptics and the optimists and everyone in between. In the end, only time will tell. But in the mean time, everyone at Africulturban is planning to continue the contribution they make every day to the development of Senegal through urban culture.

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We then went to Awadi’s house nearby and spoke to him briefly. He held up his stained pink finger and leftover Wade ballot (showing that the Macky ballot was the one cast at the polling station) for the camera, and reiterated the egregious errors Wade made toying with religion and ethnicity in his electoral campaign.

Afterwards we went to see Keyti again and followed him to the polls to vote. He took proudly held up his pink finger and leftover Wade ballot.

We then headed to Y’En A Marre’s Fou Malade’s house in Guediwaye to catch up with him, Simon, and Fadel Barro. Around a delicious plate of chicken and rice, a vibrant discussion (in Wolof) took place in regards to the day’s events. The mood was generally light and Simon was especially confident in Wade’s departure, suggesting any other scenario was “impossible.” But, as always, the Y’En A Marrist’s were clear in their position that this election is only a small battle, but the struggle will continue.

Lastly we went to Medina to vote with Book’s and picked up a copy of his new video for his song “Waxal Sa Baay,” which is telling Karim Wade to talk to his father about the hardships Senegalese people are facing. Look out for the video on Youtube soon!

The polls closed at 6pm. As the results began to trickle in, first from abroad and then from local bureaus, the ballot numbers were overwhelmingly in favor of Macky. By 9:30pm, Wade called Macky to concede. At the time, I was buying fruit. A vendor from a store nearby yelled “Macky est President!” Cars that passed by in the street exchanged honks and young people spilled out of the windows, celebrating the news. Between my animated walk home, my discussions with my family upon my arrival to the house, and the incoming facebook status’ of my Senegalese friends living here and abroad, it was clear that a great weight had been lifted off the shoulders of many Senegalese. The strong sense of pride was evident. Especially given the recent turn of events in Mali, even those who are not staunch supporters of Macky were elated by the successful democratic process undertaken by the Senegalese people.

Elias went to the Radisson Bleu and got footage of Macky’s victory speech, which started around 12:30am. Macky hailed a new era for Senegal, congratulated the Senegalese people for their display of a mature democracy, as well as thanked the opposition, Y’En A Marre, and even Wade. However, the real party took place outside the office of Macky Sall where people were out celebrating and dancing until the early morning. Ndokale waa Senegal!

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Grafixx in front of his class of some of Guediwaye's aspiring graffiti artists

With regards to the elections, everyone is on edge. Some people are staunchly confident in Macky’s victory, but most people seem to be holding their breath until tomorrow and do not know what to expect. On verra!

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Keyti spoke extensively about the importance of the change in the Senegalese imagination of democracy with regards to the separation between the religious domain and the political domain. He explained that because of this change, in this round of the elections, the marabouts knew it would not be savvy to endorse a specific candidate.

Though Keyti expressed that though he feels hopeful for Macky Sall’s victory, he still believes anything can happen on Sunday. He remains weary of the possibility of Wade stealing the elections, whether through false ballots, manipulated voter registration lists, undelivered electoral cards, intimidation, etc.

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Y'En A Marre journalist Fadel Barro, Dia and I in a Y'En A Marre stance

Barro spoke about the success of the Y’En A Marre movement at raising awareness among the Senegalese people, especially the youth, not for the benefit of any specific candidate or political party, but for the overall goal of helping to establish an informed and engaged generation of citizens. Senegal will not reap the benefits of this accomplishment overnight or in a week, but it is a preliminary step towards the long-term systematic change that is necessary to ameliorate Senegal. Barro highlighted the fact that this change needs to come from within Senegal and what is best for Senegal cannot simply be transposed from what is best in Europe, the United States, or Asia. Whether Macky Sall or Abdoulaye Wade is elected, the “nouveau type de senegalais,” must continue to organize and hold his government accountable to the interests of the Senegalese people. Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, Y’En A Marre will continue the fight, especially in honor of those who lost their lives in the current battle.

Though the compound was unusually quiet due to the fact that many of the Y’En A Marrists were out campaigning in Rufisque today, Barro’s eloquence and passion were remarkable, which sustained the lively vibe of the compound.

After our interview with Barro we hopped in a taxi and went to producer Mao’s studio in Golf Sud to meet Books and his manager Lamine. We got a preview of some dope new music they are working on! We briefly spoke to Books about his expectations for the second round before rushing back to Africulturban, as Elias had a meeting about a panel discussion that will take place next Friday: Le Senegal s’indigne?: Images et chants d’une revolte democratique. Look for a blog post on this event co-hosted by Africulturban and the Goethe-Institut, featuring Awadi, Thiat, Matador, and Simon!

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3/20/2012
After taking a break from our Democracy in Dakar work to meet the high demands
(including some all-nighters!) of the end of our film class at Africulturban,
Elias, Dia, and I hit the ground running today with an interview with Seydi
Gassama, the Director of Amnesty International Senegal.

The
Amnesty International Senegal’s headquarters is located in Sacre Coeur 2 on the
top floor of a small apartment building. We were warmly greeted by the
Coordinator El Hadji Abdoulaye Seck and waited for Mr. Gassama in the front
room, surrounded by Amnesty International Annual Human Right’s Reports and
collections of local newspapers.

Mr.
Gassama provided us with an interesting perspective on the violence that preceded
the first round of the elections, the role Y’en A Marre, M23, and religious
leaders are playing in the political process, and the importance of
strengthened democratic institutions and systems of checks and balances in
Senegal.

Mr. Seydi Gassma, Director of Amnesty International Senegal

Though
Mr. Gassama was delighted by the peaceful outcome of the first round of
elections, he sincerely fears that if opposition candidate Macky Sall does not
have a landslide victory in the second round, incumbent Abdoulaye Wade will not
relinquish power. He also fears potential intimidation at the polls during the
second round, which he says can be forecasted based on the violent treatment by
Wade loyalists towards the opposition during this second campaign period. He
hopes that with the presence of representatives from both Wade’s party and the
opposition’s at each polling station, this can be avoided.

We
ended the interview on a positive note, with Mr. Gassama expressing his great
expectations for the current generation of Senegalese youth that truly holds
the government accountable for its responsibilities to its people.

On
our way back to Africulturban we got stuck in a great deal of traffic due to
Macky Sall’s campaign caravans driving through Pikine. The countdown begins…5 days until round 2!

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The day began  with a quick meeting with Dia and Amadou at Africulturban. I explained to both of them that the direction of our interview questions should shift away from the protests and riots and move towards the elections, second round and the eventual fight between Wade and Sall.

Shaheed from Alien Zik/Zoo Squad/Suli Suli

After refocusing our vision, Dia and I hopped in a taxi and headed to Parcells to meet up with Gaston. We struggled to find him. It turned out that we had ended up at the ‘wrong’ gas station on the ‘other side’ of Parcells. While we were in the process of figuring out our mistake we ran into Shaheed Abdallah from Alien Zik and former member of Sul Suli. There are two things I love about these kinds of encounters:

• It makes me realize how small Dakar really is. (I have these encounters on a daily basis.)
• It makes me appreciate how long I have known these guys. I’ve worked with both Gaston and Abdallah for over 10 years now.

We headed off to the ‘right’ gas station and waited for one of Gaston’s guys to come meet us. He took us back  to Gaston’s studio and let us listen to some of Gaston’s latest tracks. Gaston has one of the best lyrical flows in Dakar, hands down. As a drummer, I have a finely tuned appreciation for rhythmic dexterity. Gaston raps on every song like a drum solo. I have to be honest, my Wolof is just good enough to barely understand the song title and maybe the chorus, so it’s not the lyrical content I can comment on, but as far as rhythm goes, he’s one of Senegal’s finest.

Gaston in front of his studio

After listening to his new catalog, we headed downstairs for an interview. About halfway though the interview, our students from the film production course Africulturban showed up to interview Gaston as well. They quickly set up shop and started shooting within minutes. It amazes me what a finely tuned machine these guys (and girl!) have become in only three weeks. Big up Elias, Kalen and Samiha!

After eating some Mafe with Gaston and his crew, we headed off to meet Nit Doff, one of the few MCs in Dakar I had never even met. Nit Doff reminded me a lot of Las MC; another fallen hero of the Senegalese hip-hop scene. Nit Doff and Dia chatted for a good 30 minutes about the elections and hip-hop’s role in Senegal. After recording a quick freestyle with him, we went back to Nit Doff’s HQ and drank some cafe touba – a very popular coffee drink heavily seasoned with cardamom and flavorful other spices – and listened to some of his latest tracks. While he may have a gangster appearance and lyrical content to match, Nit Doff is incredibly intelligent and thoughtful, and certainly one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Don’t let appearances fool you, Nit Doff defa baax.

Nit Doff in front of his graffiti wall

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