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Last I heard, the official unveiling of the African Renaissance Monument was scheduled to take place on 4 April 2010--the 50th anniversary of Senegal's independence from France. I wish the author had made more of an effort to present both sides of this controversy. The pan-African symbolism of this project will be lost on my Senegalese homies who believe that Prez Wade is out of touch with his citizens. Its difficult to measure the positive impact, if any, of these sorts of projects. But, like the author, I find myself wishing that our leaders would put more energy in solving basic problems like housing, access to clean water, food security, jobs etc. GI
Senegal’s Mr Wade claims to be the African president awarded the most academic degrees. The well-rounded professor’s favourite sport is, unsurprisingly, the production of bright project ideas. President Wade has the knack for grandiose and extravagant ideas, from high-speed underground trains that serve the congested suburbs of Dakar to motorways that connect African cities from Dakar to Addis, to name a few. However this time, he has decided to give full sway to his fertile imagination and give concrete shape to it.
The Monument of the African Renaissance is a 164-foot giant that juts out above one of the 328-foot tall twin hills of the capital (Les Mamelles). It defies New York’s Statue of Liberty (151 feet) and Christ the Redeemer (328 feet) in Rio de Janeiro. A strong and muscular African man has his arms wrapped around a woman aloft and holding a child resolutely pointing towards the future. For Mr Wade, the monument conveys a ‘message of dignity for Senegalese and Africans.’ President Wade sees himself as a moral guide, a messiah. So it’s perfectly natural and befitting his role as doyen of African leaders to dream for his people, to envision a prosperous future for the continent and carry his vision forward into posterity. For Wade, the monument is such an (another) Omega master plan. It must be difficult for the mind that fashions such a gigantic creation not to feel like a demiurge!
As the only one of the proponents of the African Renaissance movement still serving as president – former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki are the two others – Wade feels he needs to imprint his legacy on a continent that hasn’t fully captured the extent of his genius. Oblivious to the way the Senegalese feel about the faults that punctuate his ten-year administration, Wade is curiously apprehensive about his image internationally. He seems little concerned about the present, but is quite keen on leaving to posterity the cult of his greatness.
Read more @ Pambazuka - African Renaissance, reloaded
Last I heard, the official unveiling of the African Renaissance Monument was scheduled to take place on 4 April 2010--the 50th anniversary of Senegal's independence from France. I wish the author had made more of an effort to present both sides of this controversy. The pan-African symbolism of this project will be lost on my Senegalese homies who believe that Prez Wade is out of touch with his citizens. Its difficult to measure the positive impact, if any, of these sorts of projects. But, like the author, I find myself wishing that our leaders would put more energy in solving basic problems like housing, access to clean water, food security, jobs etc. GI
The old man, the behemoth and the impossible legacy
By Amy Niang
Senegal’s Mr Wade claims to be the African president awarded the most academic degrees. The well-rounded professor’s favourite sport is, unsurprisingly, the production of bright project ideas. President Wade has the knack for grandiose and extravagant ideas, from high-speed underground trains that serve the congested suburbs of Dakar to motorways that connect African cities from Dakar to Addis, to name a few. However this time, he has decided to give full sway to his fertile imagination and give concrete shape to it.
The Monument of the African Renaissance is a 164-foot giant that juts out above one of the 328-foot tall twin hills of the capital (Les Mamelles). It defies New York’s Statue of Liberty (151 feet) and Christ the Redeemer (328 feet) in Rio de Janeiro. A strong and muscular African man has his arms wrapped around a woman aloft and holding a child resolutely pointing towards the future. For Mr Wade, the monument conveys a ‘message of dignity for Senegalese and Africans.’ President Wade sees himself as a moral guide, a messiah. So it’s perfectly natural and befitting his role as doyen of African leaders to dream for his people, to envision a prosperous future for the continent and carry his vision forward into posterity. For Wade, the monument is such an (another) Omega master plan. It must be difficult for the mind that fashions such a gigantic creation not to feel like a demiurge!
As the only one of the proponents of the African Renaissance movement still serving as president – former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki are the two others – Wade feels he needs to imprint his legacy on a continent that hasn’t fully captured the extent of his genius. Oblivious to the way the Senegalese feel about the faults that punctuate his ten-year administration, Wade is curiously apprehensive about his image internationally. He seems little concerned about the present, but is quite keen on leaving to posterity the cult of his greatness.
Read more @ Pambazuka - African Renaissance, reloaded
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tags: Senegal, abdoulaye wade, african renaissance
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