HIGHLIGHT: Book Launch: Thierno Diop: Democratie et Droits de l’Homme: Nouveaux Pieges pour l’Afrique ( L’Harmattan-Senegal, 2021)

The essay on democracy and human rights perceived as the new traps for Africa was presented and discussed on Friday, November 12, 2021 at the West African Research Center. The author, Professor Thierno Diop is a philosopher and retired don at the Dakar-based Universitry Cheikh Anta Diop School of Communication and Information Technologies(CESTI). For the author, the indepedence granted to many african nations between the end of the 50’s and the early 60’s as well as the wind of democracy in the 80’s with the promotion of human rights folling in its wake are just mere lures and traps set by the superpowers to further take advantage of the black continent and its populations.For Professor Diop, « democracy as practised has no social dimension since it does not create the conditions giving a basis to the principles advocated ».

According to Professor Ousseynou Kane, one of the panelists and former chair of the Department of Philosophy at UCAD,democracy and human rights in Africa are just like « an imaginary sky with no root in the real world »

For another panelist, Dr Ndongo Sylla, the traps and lures of democracy in Africa, namely, « multipartism, the separation of powers, universal suffrage (or popular vote) are just mere trappings » to further keep Africa in the mire of exploitation and empoverishment.

The other panelists, Professor Bouba Diop, Professor Pape Demba Sy and Dr Cherif Salif Sy confirmed the tenets upheld by the above analysts and called for a re-adjustment of the political game in Afrca as well as for a new redefinition of the relations of the contient with the rest of the world.

The event was attended by 85 people and covered by the local media.