Another day fell through the air, not good news about the political situation , not research centres opened, not university classes.The strike at UCAD University is running since three months, the professors are demanding wage increases and the improvement of pedagogic infrastructures. One professor counts for 400 students !!The risk of année blanche (blank year) seems to become more and more real. According to the "franchise universitaire", the police are not allowed to enter in the campus but it is not always respected . When students start a manifestation they attack the police with stones and they set pneumatic tires on fire, damaging the environment and everything which passes under their hands. The violence is repressed by police violence in shape of tear gas and beatings. The students protest is much focused on denouncing the inadequate pedagogic conditions and the weak response from the government concerning the compliance of past institutional agreements. In the mean time, in Dakar districts and several internal regions protests are running since last mid-January as a consequence of the third president's candidacy . The police, in place of keeping order and create a safe environment for the manifestation, dislocate the protesters increasing scaremongering and violent revolts. But who are the protesters ? While some consider the protesters as mercenaries paid by Wade party, in order to create troubles and to stop the manifestation, some others believe that they are African outsiders with the intention of damaging shops and stealing people. Students said me that they are Senegalese civilians without any political affiliation, protesting against Wade and fighting for a democratic state. They are asking transparency in the electoral process and the immediate president's withdrawal. University students decided to constitute a branch from Y' En A Marre movement , called the Esprit of UCAD. They claim a Nouveau Type d'Etudiant, (a new type of student) informed, socially active and responsible. Justice and equity represent the main aims against the political and partisan manipulation. Y'En A Marre is in fact a movement created spontaneously by a group of hip-hop singers and young people in order to promote the civil action without any political link. Monday morning, 21th February, they organized a sit-in in the University's square, manifesting pacifically, holding a banner and slogans against the année blanche. They confessed me that although the communication with the students is facilitated by Facebook and social networks, they do not receive a strong answer from the rest of their classmates. A certain feeling of passivity and fear seems discouraging them in taking part in the manifestations. Esprit Ucad members do not understand why the majority of students prefer to stay at home and support the fight by distance with comments on facebook instead of being active in first line. Their absence seems related to the last violent events due to the political issues and to their feeling of surrender toward a defected system which privileges economical and power interests instead of dignity and reliance. Students said me that the Senegalese political structure sees the implication of politicians as well as religious khalifs. Both willing to affirm their power and to gain large sum of money. Political patronage and corruption represent the means to acquire a higher social status and privilege position in a society which reflects still today the hierarchical structure of the Jolof empire. As we know, Wolof society is strongly hierarchized and is constituted by complex social stratification which persists still nowadays but with harmful consequences. Tomorrow more than 5 million citizens will choose the 4th President of Senegal Republic, 6195 polling places and 12.000 polling stations will be disseminated throughout the territory. In order to ensure transparency, 5000 international observers will participate in the polling process. Nevertheless, incertitude and incredulity resonate within the civil society. In addition, a large number of electoral cards have not been submitted or withdrawn by the entitled in time. In Casamance the rebels of the Mouvement des forces Démocratiques de la Casamance (MFDC) declared that they will impede the polling process as a claim of independence request. In facebook the Y'En A Marre Ucad Spirit is publishing insistently messages of resistance and exhortation in completing the polling process with responsibility and attention. They exhort to vote alternative political parties, to damage Wade 's card as a symbol of not recognition as a candidate and to denounce any abuse or irregularity to the Autonomous National Electoral Commission , to journalists or to the international observers. It will be possible to follow the presidential polling by online in http://www.sunu2012.sn/. Wishing tomorrow the actions of Y'En A Marre and their fight will be not vain. " LIBEREZ VOUS , VOUS ETEZ LE POUVOIR!!"!!!
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