TERA Meeting, où le retour de la ferveur ! (Oumou WANE)
Dakar, on November 8th, vibrated with a fervor rarely seen. The parking lot of the Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium was transformed into a vast public square, a stage where political faith, anger, and perhaps also hope were reenacted. Ousmane Sonko returned to the crowd as one returns to a promise. That evening, he spoke not as a Prime Minister, nor as a technocrat concerned with budgetary balances, but as a man who remembers his roots: the people, the streets, the struggle. The TERA Meeting was precisely that: the reconciliation between the institutional figure and the symbol of insurgency.
Sonko spoke as usual: directly and forcefully. He named the wrongs, accused those responsible, denounced the hidden debt and political hypocrisy. Some will say his tone was harsh, that it still is. But it must be understood that in this country where political discourse has become so diluted, his voice cuts through like an instrument thought to be extinct. He doesn't speak to reassure; he speaks to remind everyone that Senegal cannot continue to walk on the same tired feet.
Yes, the rally was a success. A sea of people. A rare, almost mystical fervor. You could feel the need to believe, to unite, to find themselves in something other than bland speeches. But listening to the substance of the message, you also found what some call a sense of déjà vu: the same words, the same denunciations, the same enemies. Perhaps. But that wasn't the point. That evening, Sonko wasn't trying to surprise anyone.
He wanted to remind everyone. To remind everyone that he hadn't changed, that the position hadn't swallowed him up, that fear hadn't tamed him.
The other parties reacted in a disjointed manner. Some praised the democratic vitality, while others denounced the tone, the virulence, the accusations. All acknowledged, even if reluctantly, that Sonko remains the politician to be reckoned with, the one who mobilizes without money, without promises, without calculation. He irritates as much as he fascinates, and that is precisely what makes him dangerous for his opponents: he doesn't need them.
But beyond the rally, there is reality. The country's finances, the pressure of debt, the immense expectations. Sonko has entered that gray area where conviction must coexist with constraint. It is the test of reality. The test of power. He must now transform fervor into public policy, anger into method, the dream into structure. And that is where many fail.
It's also important to remember that when Sonko makes public accusations, he speaks with the legitimacy of someone the people believe. But popular faith isn't enough: facts, evidence, and rigor are needed. Governing isn't about denouncing, but about demonstrating. The danger lies in forgetting that the power of a word can become a weapon, even against one's own allies. Therefore, care must be taken not to transform moral justice into public vengeance. Sonko must learn to temper his power: when the crowd swallows every word, the responsibility becomes immense.
This TERA Meeting, in its power as well as its limitations, tells the whole story. The weight of the past, the difficulty of the present, the promise of a still uncertain future. There was no revelation, no break, but a confirmation: Sonko is still there, standing tall, surrounded yet more alone than ever.
Because governing always ends up bringing you face to face with yourself.
That night in Dakar, the crowd chanted his name. And he, perhaps, was thinking about the cost of being heard.
Oumou WANE
President of Citizen Media Group – Africa 7
Commentaires (6)
Merci quand même la contribution est intéressante.
Je répète que Oumou wane n'est pas digne d'une wane wane.
Quelle mange à tous les ateliers
Regarde toi dans un miroir et poses toi la question à savoir " qui suis je ? "
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter ou TikTok pour l'afficher automatiquement.