Le Président oublie/ Oublie le Président! Okay I know it's been a while since the last post, but instead of giving you a laundry list of what I've been up to, I thought I should jump right into what's up and on my mind at the moment. I'm actually coming full circle back to my last post on the FESMAN because the official launch of the nine-month pre-festival events was a free hip hop concert that Duma dragged me to last night. Among the notable performers was our fabulous rapper friend, Moona, the lauryn-esque Njaaya and DJ Awadi (the title of this post is one of his lines, translated as: the President forgets/ forget the President). Our friend Tinari plays drums for both of them - which is why I found myself standing outside in the cold (everything is relative) at 1am on a Monday morning (Duma, you still have to name your first child after me - here's hoping it's a girl). Anyway, I'm glad I did because it was refreshing to hear the bold political commentary in the lyrics and reflected in the audience. I already know how hip hop has influenced politics here, but it's been cast as somewhat of a dead dynamic.

Senegal's local elections are coming up on March 22nd and my neighborhood's walls are graffiti'd with the names of candidates and slurs against their rivals. It is both fascinating and a bit depressing to consider the difference between the U.S. electoral process (local or presidential) and what goes on here. I have not heard one debate, not seen one poster listing goals, not even seen any superficial marketing ploys associating candidates with acts of charity or social programs....Granted I don't have a TV here - something tells me I am not missing any kind of political forum. I have heard mixed reviews about the upcoming local elections. Some people are excited by the fact that, for the first time, the candidates are comprised of some professionals (many from the private sector) instead of the same old career politicians. However, I've also heard that pretty much everyone, including the so-called 'opposition,' has some affiliation with either the current regime or the former regime and is therefore not really fresh blood. Of course the most controversial aspect of the elections is the fact that the president, Abdoulaye Wade's, son, Karim, is running for Mayor of Dakar. Many see this as sign that he is being groomed to 'succeed' his father. This begs the question: what is the real difference, if one exists at all, between monarchy and political dynasties (Kennedy's, Bush's...)? Is one more acceptable than the other?

We had a guest speaker come and talk about democracy in Senegal for one of our courses today. His appraisal of Senegal as a transitional democracy a step above arbitrary rule and a step below actual rule of law was dead on, in my opinion. A student asked about the residual affects of colonial rule and the lecturer made a great point in response. He said that without a sense of national pride a country cannot develop independently. And it is clear that Senegal lacks this sense of pride and autonomy. He said, ministers who send their pregnant wives to France or the U.S. so that their children can be born French or American are doing exactly the same thing that young people boarding pirogues to cross the ocean to Spain are attempting to do. Both demonstrate a total lack of faith in the future of their country. Why, then, are we so shocked when these kids risk their lives to leave Senegal? When Wade retires he will likely move to France with his French wife, just as Senghor and Diouf did before him. If even the political elite don't have a stake in the country's future, then who does? Oh yeah, China!

Ok, ok...enough politicking. On a more begge note (begge, Wolof for fun, happy, everything good in life), I went to a Seun Kuti concert on Friday and got a pic with Fela's son!

More begge to come....