It took a ten-second video of African heads of state holding a candle in a procession through the streets of Kyiv in tribute to the victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war for all those « conscious », « free » and « committed » Africans to get on their high horse and blow the trumpet of indignation. As with all polemics in this « goldfish civilisation », to use Bruno Patino’s words, epidermal indignation and the quest for viral noise are the hallmarks of several positions taken, unfortunately disconnected from the reality of the issue.

Speaking of goldfish, Bruno Patino explains that they are unable to hold their attention for more than eight seconds. He compares them to a large part of the generation of millennials, the generation that has grown up with the internet and connected screens, where the attention span rarely exceeds nine seconds. The world is constantly on the hunt for the latest controversy that will get people talking. Everything in Africa’s public spheres, or at least what we can perceive of them from social networks, is driven by a simple motivation: « I’m indignant, therefore I exist ». Being outraged is a good thing, but it still needs to be based on objective facts and an analysis to bring a little judgement to bear.

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One constant is the attempt to discredit all off Senegal’s diplomatic moves and exploits for some time, simply because of opposition to one man. The derogatory comments made after Senegal’s participation in the last G20 Summit in Indonesia are still fresh in our memory. Hostility towards Macky Sall and his governance is understandable, but heckling all the major diplomatic events that take place in Senegal under his leadership is problematic.

If the latest visit by African heads of state to Ukraine and Russia is examined in detail, we will see that it is part of a pattern. After the trip to Sochi in June 2022 by Macky Sall and Moussa Faki Mahamat (I forget that they were criticised at the time for begging for wheat), the visit under the seal of « African mediation » of a delegation made up of the presidents of Congo-Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia, under the banner of « African mediation », is a necessary step for a continent that has played the neutrality card since the start of the war. What’s more, Ukraine, like Russia under Senegal’s presidency of the African Union in 2022, has not failed to maintain sustained and regular contact with Dakar in order to emulate a certain Senegalese leadership over other countries.

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The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs was dispatched to Dakar for this purpose, before Ukrainian President Zelensky was able to address the African leaders by videoconference. In an interview with Le Quotidien last week, the Ukrainian ambassador to Senegal revealed that they had been hoping to see President Macky Sall visit Kyiv since last year in his capacity as President of the African Union, and that President Zelensky had made numerous invitations to this effect.

The visit of the African heads of state to Ukraine and Russia is similar to any visit made by leaders to Ukraine or Russia, without them being jeered or called sell-outs, turning a blind eye to the misery on the continent. The African diaspora and the continent’s connected public opinion will have the strength to excel in self-flagellation. We have seen American and French presidents in Kyiv without being overly shocked. It was thanks to the mediation and good offices of people like the President of Senegal that there was no bloodshed between Rwandans and Congolese.  It is also in this same vein that the Egyptians and Ethiopians did not draw their knives from their sheaths to fight over the great Renaissance Dam.

Our « committed » and « more than proud » African citizens have surely forgotten the Senegalese President’s state visit to the Egyptian authorities in January 2022, and completely overlooked Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit to Dakar in November 2021, as well as the agenda for these missions. Macky Sall, in his role as then President of the African Union (AU), was the first to take to the podium, along with Moussa Faki, President of the Commission of the African Union, to oppose the racist treatment of migrants from Africa at the start of the conflict in Ukraine. We may want to heckle Senegal for its diplomatic posturing, but, if the « Senegal bashing », is deconstructed by the objectivity of the facts, deserves to be put down.

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On a different, but equally important, note, the African mission to Ukraine and Russia enabled the Senegalese President, who insisted that the delegation spend the same amount of time in the two belligerent countries, for the sake of balance and neutrality, to address the incursions of agents close to Moscow and active in the West African sub-region. Attempts at insurrection based on groups waving a Russian flag and all the « proxy wars » to which our country could fall victim are issues that need to be addressed with all the incursions that have been noted. For the sake of its stability, Senegal could not avoid raising such a subject with the Russian authorities.

It is impossible to deny that Senegal has an audible diplomatic voice, that it is a respected country in the concert of nations, that its sons and daughters who act as diplomats hold the high ground and that its alignment or lack of it is of interest, even intriguing. The Senegalese President’s state visit to Portugal and all the respect shown to our country, despite all the negative international coverage in recent weeks, speak volumes about a solid state with a respected diplomatic service and a republican model in which many people have confidence. This week, Le Soleil takes a look at Africa’s role in mediating international conflicts, showing that from Senghor to Sall, the constant has always been that Senegal’s voice counts. From the secret meetings held between Dakar and Kinshasa to prevent Egyptians and Israelis from clashing in the 1970s, to the conciliatory diplomacy in the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Senegal’s prestigious diplomatic history continues to move forward.

It is understandable that a certain foreign press should make fun of a democratically elected African regime and mock a mediation mission from a continent with six of its heads of state, and not the least of them. It’s a power play, they have their own agenda and they would be the last to applaud negro peacemakers. However, it is regrettable to see Africans who claim to be concerned about the future of their continent, and who are quick to call for Africa’s voice to be heard, joining the chorus of hyenas. We are not surprised to see a little lawyer, who lacks credibility in France, position himself as the liberator of the children of Senghor and Cheikh Anta Diop!

Ambassador Maguette Sèye, whom I had the good fortune to benefit from his guidance, had some very strong formula about Senegalese diplomacy. He said that many people lose their way by underestimating Senegal’s diplomatic strength. It’s regrettable that the age of the Internet wants to turn Senegal, a diplomatic giant, into a simpleton, a laughing stock the world over. I would add that many people lose sight of Senegal’s strength. And we’ll never stop reminding all the goldfish of that, provided they pay us any attention.

By Serigne Saliou DIAGNE – saliou.diagne@lequotidien.sn