Too Far

I was supposed to start my internship at Oxfam-GB in Dakar last Wednesday but my first day was postponed twice due to “popular unrest.” On the same day that the bus drivers for the major bus company in Dakar went on strike, the government decided to enforce its ban on street vendors. The result was some of the worst rioting in Senegalese history. The street vendors, mostly young men who make a precarious living—lucky to make a dollar a day—selling phone cards, towels, watches, water, peanuts, clothing, etc. to drivers stuck in Dakar’s never-ending traffic, rebelled by burning trash, trash cans and tires. They shut down downtown for two days, which along with the bus drivers strike made getting around the city impossibly difficult. How dumb and arrogant is the government here? How can they try to take cats’ livelihoods away and not expect a violent backlash? I definitely not a fan of street vendors, but I understand that it’s not their fault they are poor. They live in a country that can only provide stable jobs in the formal sector for a minority of the population—and well-paid jobs—to even fewer, and they are basically forced to hustle or starve. If anything, I am surprised that shit hasn’t popped off before. As poor as this country is, it’s surprisingly stable. People have been incredibly patient, mostly expressing their dissatisfaction through the ballot box. But eight years after President Wade promised “sopi” or change, it’s clear that the people are starting to get frustrated. Again, it’s a testament to Senegal’s political culture that the country has avoided a meltdown like practically all of the countries in the region given how fucked up shit is out here. It’s good that the people showed the government that they went too far, and decided to fight back. For the moment the mayor said he would lay off temporarily, although there will likely be more violence if they try to get rid of the street vendors again.