Dialogue Forum with Souleymane Jules Diop: After the Arab Spring, the African summer? – The democracy movement in Senegal and the role of the youth

On Tuesday 1 November at 19:00 (Grüner Salon in der Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 2, 10178 Berlin) AfricAvenir together with the Senegalese musicians Louis-Jean und General Snipe invites you to one of our highlights of this year’s programme: a dialogue forum with the Senegalese journalist and outspoken regime critique Souleymane Jules Diop, who since 2004 has reported regularly from his exile in Canada about political and social evils in his homeland, and as a critical voice has strengthened first and foremost the youth in their demands for greater democracy and social and economic justice.

Together with Souleymane Jules Diop we will discuss what resonance the Arabian spring has had in sub-Saharan Africa and which upheavals are emerging across the whole of Africa. In particular Diop will give insights into the constitution of different African social movements in the context of a resurgence of Pan-Africanism, and with regard to the contribution of the youth will discuss in detail such new social movements as Y’en a marre! in Senegal.   

On the eve of the presidential elections in the spring of 2012 in Senegal the aged incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade has announced his candidacy for a third constitutional yet for many extremely questionable term in office. Through his various interventions Souleymane Jules Diop himself plays an influential role in the current debate over democracy in Senegal, and in the course of the dialogue forum he will also address the specific situation in Senegal.

Souleymane Jules Diop is a journalist, columnist and author. As former communications adviser to Idrissa Seck and long-term close friend of the President’s son Karim Wade, Diop holds sensitive internal information about the Wade empire, which he published to some extent in his 2007 book “Wade: L’Avocat et le Diable”. Through his steadfastness as an incorruptible lone warrior against this empire, Diop has earned himself generalised respect – even government representatives praise him as one of the last free and critical voices of Senegal. Diop’s columns on the Senegalese message portal www.seneweb.com rank among the most successful African blogs ever (more than 100,000 unique visitors per column) and have made him one of the most well-known African journalist living in exile. nThe lecture will be in French with simultaneous translation into German.

Grüner Salon in der Volksbühne
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 2
10178 Berlin
U2/Tram Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz|+| Mapn—nBackground Articles:n

• «Y en a marre» ou les défis d’une génération galèreMoustapha Kassé
  2011-10-03
• Sénégal : Echecs et PerspectivesSanou Mbaye
  2011-09-12, Numéro 204
• Sénégal : Etat de droit balkanisé, justice sinistrée, République en danger!Aboubacry Mbodj
  2011-08-14, Numéro 202
• Violentes émeutes contre les coupures de courant à DakarTidiane Kassé
  2011-06-28, Numéro 195
• Sénégal : Ce 23 juin ou Wade a reculéTidiane Kassé
  2011-06-27, Numéro 195
• Pour qui sonne le glas de la démocratie sénégalaise ?Fatou Kiné Camara
  2011-06-26, Numéro 195
• L’ère du président mal élu !Alioune Sarr
  2011-06-26, Numéro 195
• Sénégal : Un rêve peut-il mourir?Amy Niang
  2011-03-20, Numéro 182
• Sénégal : La démocratie d’élite a prévalu sur les griefs d’une justice socialePascal Oudiane
  2011-03-20, Numéro 182