the Senegalese experience|experiment

02 April, 2010

the statue question

I thought I'd give you guys a peek into a hot issue in Dakar: the statue. The first question you may have about the statue is this: What statue are you talking about? Well, around here, begin discussing "le statue" and everyone will know you're talking about the "Statue de la Renaissance de l'Afrique," a big hulking thing on a tall hill that can be seen from almost anywhere in Dakar, and has a broader scope in regard to the debate it's undergoing. [ETA: Apparently the official inauguration is today! I picked a great day to blog about this.]


Of course, any discussion about the statue will generally lead to the opinion that it was a waste of money, and that no one asked them if they wanted the statue. Interestingly, Senegal considers itself a democratic state. However, everyone I've asked about the statue has said there was no vote-- the president simply decided to spend the peoples' money on a large piece of stone. What's more, he's taking a solid 35% of the profits for himself, claiming "intellectual property" rights for the design of the statue. Now, while (like any smart politician) Wade has vaguely promised to give the money to hospitals and orphanages, most sane people have wondered why he didn't just re-route the money directly to those hospitals and orphanages, instead of having himself as a middle-man. I'm suspicious, as well.

The statue cost $27,000,000. That's... a lot of money that could go to, let's see: a better (or existent) trash system, fixing roads, projects working with handicapped people, or just people in general-- giving them back the exorbitant amounts that Wade stole to make... a statue, with a pointing baby. It's a tragedy to think about, in my opinion, and I've met only two people in this whole city that thought otherwise. These people say that it's a testament to Africa's future, and will bring in money for Senegal. But somehow I think most would rather have the money that was taken from them then hypothetical money in the future. I think the picture below (during the statue's construction) really frames the wastefulness of the statue:


These piles of trash are normal around Dakar; while there are people to take away the trash, there aren't nearly as many as there should be, and so generally people end up tossing their trash wherever they are at the time. (More on pollution later.)

Opponents also say that the statue is idolatrous according to the Koran, which says that statues must not be made in the shape of a man. Additionally, the woman's legs are entirely bare, which is also sacrilegious. That seems very curious to me-- the main controversy seems to surround the money Wade spent on the statue, rather than the fact that he's going against the sacred text. In a city where the public transportation is often painted with "Alhamdoulilah" and "Talibe," it's interesting that there isn't more protest on the side of the Muslims.

In any case, there's been a lot of press about the statue, since its completion a few months ago (we arrived shortly after). Almost every newspaper runs a story about it all the time, and today a panel discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the statue. (It was in Wolof, and I didn't understand most of it, but my host mother was sighing and shaking her head.) It's certainly something to think about, if only as a representation of the deep corruption of democratic values by Senegal's president.

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