Dear organizers of the TERA Meeting , dear organizers of the TERA Niakhtou National ,

Dear political actors, members of civil society, activists, journalists, artists and citizens of Senegal,

This Saturday, November 8th, marks two major political events, two platforms where the passions, hopes, and anger of a weary, anxious, yet still resilient people will crystallize. These moments could have been mere steps in the democratic process. In reality, they are mirrors reflecting the moral, social, and political state of our beloved nation: a Senegal beset by doubts, wounded by divisions, but still imbued with the fragile and precious light of shared faith—faith in God, faith in our homeland, faith in our collective destiny.

Because today, we must dare to say it: our country is very divided.

Anger, hatred and mistrust can be seen on the faces of our fellow citizens whom we pass every morning. This young street vendor who waits for a hypothetical buyer, this "itinerant" mechanic out of breath after a 100-meter sprint behind a car near the Technical Control Center in Hann, this elderly woman jostled in the bus with her basket of vegetables, this windshield washer in the endless traffic jams of the highway or the old track, this cleaning technician, pretending to sweep, to hold out his hand to passers-by or motorists, hoping for a coin to buy some water, a coffee, or simply enough to last until the end of the day, these children wandering without a horizon, these images that went around the web on Monday, November 3, where hundreds of young people are seen gathered in front of the Glow Skin building to drop off their CVs, responding to a call from a successful entrepreneur in the field of cosmetics. These seemingly insignificant events powerfully illustrate the silent distress of a generation searching for work, hope, and recognition. Each, in their own way, bears witness to the same existential anguish. Their gazes silently question our collective conscience: where is Senegal headed?

Between 2021 and 2024, the political upheavals left deep scars. The wounds were not healed; they were merely masked. Harsh words, in a Kafkaesque atmosphere, from unprepared young people bursting onto the political scene, replaced reasoned arguments and programmatic proposals. Partisan affiliations fractured families, neighborhoods, fraternities, friendships, unions, institutions, and even hearts. Public debate, once marked by moderation, restraint, elegance, and social and emotional intelligence, was transformed into a theater of invective and vicious diatribes. Too often, certain wise figures, intellectuals, voices, and social regulators, whose pronouncements would have been expected in such circumstances, remained silent while cries of hatred filled the physical, media, and virtual public spheres.

Yet, politics is not a gladiatorial arena, but a school of responsibility. To be a politician is first and foremost to deeply love one's country, to serve it with restraint, moderation, and dignity. It is not about dividing to rule, but uniting to build. Today's Senegal needs neither "kulunas" (thugs), nor "gougnafiers" (bastards), nor even "false neutrals": it needs enlightened minds, sincere hearts, and reconciled souls.

 

We must rediscover the Senegal that reflects who we are and that we love:

A Senegal of peace, dialogue, respect and fraternity; a Senegal where joking kinship unites hearts, defuses tensions and transforms differences into bursts of laughter, a living symbol of a peace rooted in fraternity and mutual respect; a Senegal where diversity is an asset, not a threat; where differences of opinion do not lead to hatred, but to reflection; a Senegal where an outstretched hand is worth more than a raised fist.

To you, organizers of the TERA Meeting and the TERA Niakhtou National ,

Your responsibility transcends that of any party or movement. Today, you are the guardians of a shared memory and the architects of a common future. Make this November 8th a day of unity and reconciliation, not division. May your speeches be bridges, not weapons. May your words rekindle hope, not resentment. May your crowds bear witness to a mature people, aware that the greatness of a nation is not measured by the power of slogans, but by the wisdom and commitment of its well-educated children, ready to embrace our era: the era of the knowledge society, where artificial intelligence is redefining the paradigms of global geopolitics.

Senegal is preparing to host the 2026 Youth Olympic Games , the first edition to be held on African soil . This global sporting event, like our first continental trophy at the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, could be our greatest showcase, our noblest triumph over adversity. But its success will depend on our ability to stand together, to rekindle the sense of national unity, beyond political affiliations and fleeting disputes.

Let's put our grudges aside.

Let us calm our hearts.

Let us rediscover our joy of living and our pride in being Senegalese — in our homes, our markets, our offices, our streets, our mosques, our churches, our public squares.

Because beyond parties and stances, we only have one country: Senegal.

And in the name of the People , the Goal and the Faith that we share, let us make this November 8th not a confrontation, but a national communion in which both sides will compete with ardor in the constructive proposal of a reconciled country, in the discourse announcing a new true beginning bringing prosperity shared equitably among all citizens regardless of their socio-economic conditions.

May Allah, the Almighty, strengthen our hearts, enlighten our minds, and inspire our leaders so that Senegal remains the haven of peace, fraternity, and dignity that the whole world has always envied us.

Long live a united, strong and reconciled Senegal.

Long live the Republic!

For the People. For the Purpose. For the Faith.

 

 

  Oumar Mamadou BASSOUM

Senegalese citizen