This Is The Only KPI Sunugal Needs To “Dieum Kanam” — Move Forward.
The Sunugal We Need. The Sunugal We Deserve. The Sunugal We Want.
Did you see it? Look closer.
No, I am not talking about the flag of Senegal! I am talking about the typo “Non Stress” instead of “No Stress.”
I guess the person was stressed while writing those exact words.
Before we talk about this picture, I want to make full disclosure.
I am not a specialist in Senegal’s political, religious, economic, or social areas, and I have not lived there for the past twenty years.
I left the country in 2000 and came to France. I have been living here since then.
As I have turned 40 this year, I can say that I have equally split my life between the two countries.
I define myself as an “Afropean.” An Afropean is who I am, and we are legion. The Afropeans are like the cement that glues the two civilizations together.
With the recent events happening in the land of “Teranga,” many people ask me what I think about the situation.
I will share my view as a “SeneGaulois.” I will share what I believe are the potential root causes of what is happening there. And we will explore some solutions that we can implement to fix the issues.
Yes, I hear you. I haven’t lived there for 20 years. And you might be right that I have no legitimacy to speak about the realities people face now.
Let’s return to the photo above. I took it at Lac Rose or Pink Lake, which is not too far from Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
I visited my family there in February 2020, so I can say that I have a pretty fresh experience of the country’s reality.
Now that we are on the same page. Let’s talk about KPIs and how this one KPI is key to understanding the situation in Senegal.
“A performance indicator or key performance indicator (KPI) is a type of performance measurement.[1] KPIs evaluate the success of an organization or of a particular activity (such as projects, programs, products, and other initiatives) in which it engages. “
Source Wikipedia
I will let economics, politicians, and journalists talk about the KPIs as defined above.
For me, the key to understanding Senegal is the following KPI: a pyramid that is the cornerstone of bringing back the Teranga that was stolen from the Senegalese people:
1. Knowledge, The Solid Foundation
Knowledge is the first brick of every conscious human being. When we can find the information, we can feed our minds and open more possibilities for us and others.
The As-Is Situation in Senegal
Getting the correct information is quite a challenge in Senegal. French is our official language, but some people still cannot write or read.
The best schools are private schools. They are mainly located in Dakar and are for the children of wealthy people, expatriates, and government officials.
Public schools are underfunded, and teachers are not paid enough to work in decent conditions.
Finding a good school outside Dakar is just a nightmare for any parent.
Books are costly, and libraries are more scarce than water on Mars.
The elite is the one withholding all the information. And they are not ready to share.
Bribery is the other national currency after the Franc CFA. I’m sorry, but the Eco is supposed to be an independent currency from France.
When I talk about the elite, I refer to politicians, journalists, religious leaders, expatriates.
They are the ones who hold the keys to the library. And only a happy few can get through the door.
The To-Be situation in Senegal
We have to make information accessible to the masses.
For me, we can do it through 3 simple steps:
- Provide affordable and renewable energy to people.
- Provide affordable Internet services to the masses.
- Embark the next generation into the digital revolution, the 4th human revolution.
People can build new learning ecosystems if they can access energy at competitive prices. Information will be more democratized.
We need to decentralize power from Dakar and build hubs all around Senegal. We also have to give equal opportunities in education, not only in Dakar.
From Matam to Tambacounda, Richard Tool to Ziguinchor, and Kouguel to Kédougou, knowledge must be like the air each child breathes, day in and day out.
2. Power, The Energy To Act
Once we have the knowledge we need, ecosystems must be built to empower us as individuals.
The As-Is Situation in Senegal
Political power is in the hands of people who see it as a way to enrich themselves and their families. Of course, I am not saying that all politicians are corrupt.
I am saying that the masses see how politicians can build houses and buy fancy cars just months after their election while struggling to make ends meet.
Religious power also plays a part in keeping people in poverty. They play a crucial role in keeping people in place while sometimes living luxurious lives on behalf of religious rules.
Most of the time, it is a family business.
I know the key roles the different factions of Islam are playing in the country. Yet, I believe they contribute to cultivating and accepting this feeling of being crushed by the system and accepting it.
Economic power is in the hands of some families and some friends of politicians. Some happy few families have owned the most profitable corporations for generations. If this is not the case, the company is a foreign enterprise subsidiary, generally French people, as a long tradition of “Francafrique.”
The To-Be situation in Senegal
In politics, we must first eliminate the massive corruption mindset gripping the system.
We have to hold people accountable for how and where they spend their money on behalf of the country.
We need more fair elections to introduce more diversity in the system. So Ousmane, a boy from Ziguinchor, has the same opportunity to be a representative as Salif, living in “Dakar Plateau.”
When it comes to the religious aspect, faith is great. Yet, it cannot feed you when you are hungry. It cannot heal you, always, when you have cancer. You cannot pay your bills with it.
We need to hold our religious leaders accountable for their actions. They cannot just live as they see fit because they believe that only part of Islam’s laws they have chosen apply to them.
They are contributing to holding young people hostage to the poverty mindset.
The country’s economic growth cannot be streamed out of the country. It cannot be a pie reserved for some happy few who are blinded by their gluttony.
3. Impact, The Key To Evolution
Only with power can we act. Only when we act can we strive to have a meaningful impact.
The As-Is Situation in Senegal
Most of the impact in Senegal today results from external actions or people.
We are proud to be the land of “Teranga.” Covid-19 has shown us that we cannot only rely on tourism as a primary source of income.
We rely on external funds to keep our economy running. Covid-19 has slowed the whole world, including our last hope of an infinite stream of money.
Many young people don’t believe that they can have an impact on themselves or their families. So, they prefer to seek death on their route to the west. For them, it is preferable to “waiting” to die.
The To-Be situation in Senegal
We need to build hope from the ground up. We need to empower people to change their environment.
We need more sustainable ways of giving people the means to act and impact. A first start must be a reliable healthcare system backed by our country’s wealth.
We need a minimum wage for all so that people can breathe and feed their minds while building a healthy environment for themselves and their loved ones.
You may ask where the money is for all of that. I say, Look into the offshore accounts of our politicians and wealthy people.
We must help people earn more to contribute their fair share to the community.
Final Thoughts
The vision above is the KPI I see fit for Senegal, a KPI around the three following building blocks:
- Knowledge
- Power
- Impact
As long as we do not build this pyramid into Senegalese society, no amount of Teranga will keep people silent.
Covid-19 has just exacerbated what was hiding in plain sight. The reality of our country is that the majority of people are suffering.
Politicians might try to patch it with some rice and some bribing.
Religious leaders might try to patch it through some unshakable faith in God.
External powers might bring in some funds to keep their peace of mind.
Yet all those actions are in vain, as they only address the tip of the iceberg in Senegalese society.
We are way beyond trying to fix the current system.
The only way to bring back the Teranga is to build a new system that will make the old one obsolete.
In that new system:
- We share our knowledge because sharing is caring.
- We empower people so that they can claim their power.
- We create safe environments where everyone can have a meaningful impact.
Knowledge is the only KPI we deserve.
Power is the only KPI we need.
Impact is the only KPI we want.
To free Senegal from the old system, we must perform a paradigm shift with a new pyramid of values around knowledge, power, and impact.
This is the Senegal I need. This is the Senegal I want. This is the Senegal I love.
As in the picture above, I want my “Sunugal” back with “Non Stress.” Because we all deserve “la vie en rose” in Lac Rose.
This is a letter from an Afropean, a SeneGaulois, to you, my sister, my brother, my father, and my mother. Yes, I am talking to you, who wants to bring back the Teranga on our beloved Sunugal.
What is your vision of what is going on right now in Senegal?
How do you think we can address the rampant, systemic issues?
What quick wins can we implement to bring back our Teranga?
Leave a comment below.
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© Ahmadou DIALLO
