SENEGAL: I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO FRAME MY EXPECTATIONS OF THE NEW PRESIDENT-ELECT – CHIMA CHRISTIAN

Many people have tagged me to posts, or called my attention to the outcome of the recent elections in Senegal that produced a relatively young president. They keep pointing to his election as an early proof of the “Africa’s morning” we have always maintained “is at hand.”

Well, apart from the time the election was rescheduled, I did not follow the processes with sufficient interest. Apart from one video of the president-elect that has now gone viral, where he spoke so boldly and articulately, I have little or no knowledge of his antecedents to frame my expectations of his government on.

Many of the comments I’m reading also suggest to me that the authors are also carrying on with the frenzy. Because it appears that the only thing they know, and keep writing about this president elect is his age, and perhaps his marital choices.

I would have loved to, but given the present tasks at hand, I don’t have the time to go read up all I need to read about Senegal and her new president-elect. I’ll beg some of my friends who are so vested in this matter, to please go the extra mile and put up something in one article or policy brief to educate the rest of us on the antecedents of the president-elect, his policy direction, and what we might expect from him.

I’m supposed to be happy for him, for Senegal and for Africa. But I don’t have enough information to do that. We have to remind ourselves that after the euphoria of election victory comes the very serious work of governance. Basirou Faye could be very well prepared for the responsibilities of the office. But his story is not being told, at least not on the few messages that I’ve thus far received.

Someone help, please.

Africa’s morning is at hand.

Chima Christian