The West African Research Center was recognized and honored when its Director was called upon for a critical reading and presentation of the book recently published by the President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, who, according to his words, need to engage in a one-to-one conversation with the senegalese people and the rest of the world to better represent his personality and the content of his character to them. The essay is titled: Le Senegal au Coeur (Senegal in my heart and soul).

In the book, as the Director of WARC noted on Tuesday, December 11^th at the Terrou Bi hotel, the venue of the event, the author appears in three postures: the political leader (less conspicuous), the head of state (challenging himself about his mission and also the burden of power and responsibility) but, most importantly, the private person as a father, a husband and a citizen (closer and rather likeable).

As agreed with organizers, the Director of WARC did not discuss debatable political issues (the essay does not include many of those) but dwelt, rather on those aspects reflecting the personality of the President as a private person and as a family man and member and underscored some moving chapters in the essay: when Macky Sall, in his “long march”, (after being sacked as Prime Minister and subsequently as President (Speaker) of the National Assembly), engaged in long and trying peregrinations to the four corners of deep Senegal to experience challenging circumstances under which senegalese people (specially rural populations) lived in their hamlets and villages with no electricity, no running water and far away health care units.

The Director of WARC also elaborated on the narrative style of the essay: simple sentences, ordinary vocabulary, hardly any circumvoluted phrases and expressions. Just a conversational style to engage in a dialogue with readers.

The presentation was completed by the other two panelists who explored and analyzed political issues and such as reflected in the essay.

The event was attended by no less than 600 people including diplomats, high-level officials of the senegalese government, political leaders and reporters.