Political instability comes to Senegal

Protests and uncertainty rock West African nation.

Is Senegal on the brink of chaos? Protests sweeping the country in the past few weeks are unprecedented in a nation known for its peaceful and democratic traditions.

The unrest comes ahead of Sunday's presidential elections, in which incumbent Abdoulaye Wade will run for a controversial third term. The opposition is vowing to render the country ungovernable if President Wade wins again.

In this episode of The Stream, we speak to Mamadou Diouf, director of the Institute for African Studies at Columbia University, and Didier Awadi (@awadimusic), a Senegalese musician and activist.

What do you think? Is Senegal on the brink of chaos? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream.

Here are some highlights of the conversation:

View the story "Political instability comes to Senegal " on StorifyPolitical instability comes to Senegal Protests and uncertainty rock West African nationStorified by The Stream · Thu, Feb 23 2012 12:46:00FlickrFlickrSenegal is holding presidential elections on Sunday. Dakar has been the scene of widespread protests, particularly in the wake of a constitutional court ruling allowing the current president to pursue a third term. y'en a marrecheikhmamsThe protests have been largely youth-driven, led by Mouvement 23, named after the 23 June protests last year, as well a group founded by Senegalese rappers known as Y'en a Marre ("We're fed up"). 405895_326001447440904_173373102703740_826764_13926182_nAJstreamBoth groups have used Facebook to summon Senegalese to demand the departure of the country’s 85-year-old president Abdoulaye Wade. The group 'Y'en a Marre' aims to get their message across and raise youth awareness of what it calls is corruption, urban flooding and rolling power cuts. Screen Shot 2012-02-22 at 10.04.44 AMAJstreamUnder the constitution, the president is limited to two terms, which Wade has served. He has sought a third term on the grounds that his first term was completed before the term limit was instituted. Wade has said in the past that he would not seek a third term, as in the video from 2007 below.Daily Clip.movajstreamM23 takes its name from the protests on June 23 in Dakar after Wade proposed a constitutional change that would have further enshrined his power.Dakar Protests 1abirsassoRappers have increasingly played a growing role in the Senegalese political scene. The song "Coup 2 Gueule" directly accuses Wade of corruption and election fraud.KEURGUI CREW "Coup 2 Gueule" (U.S version)keurgui2kaolackAffiche électorale Abdoulaye Wade : "Le Sopi, il a marché jusqu'àààààà... fatigué" #senegal http://t.co/RA2UVx6cdomydomYoussou NDour, a internationally known Senegalese musician, announced his candidacy in January, but was prohibited from running for not receiving enough signatures on his petition. Since then, he has remained active in the opposition, receiving an injury during protests on Tuesday. Godfrey MwampembwaIMG_3424boombastic ploThis cartoon by Godfrey Mwampembwa shows NDour's crossover from musician to candidate.Iq4newsA recent protest in Dakar calling for Wade to step down.WorldbulletinSenegal has long been one of Africa's most stable nations, not to experience a military coup and to successfully transfer power between parties. It is also one of the only countries in Africa ranked highly for press freedom.Flickr In recent years of Wade's rule, however, economic growth has stagnated and corruption has increased. SenegalAJstreamProtests in Dakar have been broken up violently by police. Six people have died so far in the unrest.Manifestation a la place de l'indépendance. la police disperse la foulebasilenianefulhymne national #M23docboumMarche à la place de l'indépendance Le dragon fonce sur les manifestantssenewebdirectRadionetherlandsKilifeu, one of the rappers associated with Yen a Marre, was arrested during the protests over the weekend.Rappers arrested at Senegal opposition protest http://t.co/pIjoVGLO http://t.co/WprtSE7pmsnbcphotospxlsSolidarity protests by the Senegalese diaspora and others took place in front of Washington DC.Senegalese Protest in Washington, DC_02_07_2012messay.comThe video below (in French) shows a member of Y'en a Marre discussing the nonviolent nature of the movement, saying that they are law-abiding, strive for peace and respect the police who support of the people. In this vein, a fellow member was quarantined for an act of violence against another member several weeks ago.Fou Malade sanctionné par les siens qui appellent à la paixcarrapideTranslation: To the suburbs, all of Senegal is counting on you to raise hell so that Wade will understand la banlieue tout le senegal compte sur vous foutez le bordel comme wade comprendra #sunu2012 #senegalLonelyNattySeydiTranslation: It appears Wade wants to negotiate. Let his family return all the stolen money first. Il parait que Wade veut négocier. Que sa famille rende le fric volé d'abord. #Sunu2012Ba HadyTranslation: Whether or not Wade leaves before the 26th, we need all of the Senegalese to go to the voting boothQue Wade parte avant le 26 ou pas il faut que les sénégalais partent aux urnes #senegal #sunu2012Assane Pathé dIOPTranslation: We will need to give Wade's staff courses on blogging: Twitter, the Anti-Wade platform?Il faudrait donner des cours de #blogging au staff de Wade #Sénégal : Twitter, la voie anti-Wade ? http://bit.ly/yvpt99 #kebetu #sunu2012Basile NianeTranslation: Never in the history of Senegal have presidential candidates been so mistreated. I'm disgusted.Jamais dans l'histoire du #Senegal des candidats a une élection présidentielle ont été autant maltraités. Suis dégouté #sunu2012Cheikh FallTranslation: Important to note: There is no political leader...only the youth and their determination to oust WadeImportant de le noter: Il n'y a aucun leader politique..les jeunes seuls face à leur détermination à faire partir Wade!! #Sunu2012 #SénégalOumy

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Political instability comes to Senegal

Political instability comes to Senegal

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