After Saint-Louis, one of the largest arteries in the Senegalese capital, Avenue Faidherbe, now bears the name of President Macky Sall. The baptism, which took place yesterday, was an opportunity for the President to invite the mayors of the country’s cities to follow this initiative, “so that the public roads and squares of our cities and towns bear more names that reflect our national heritage and our collective imagination.”By Mame Woury THIOUBOU – 

President Macky Sall himself presided over the naming ceremony of the avenue that bears his name in the heart of Dakar this Sunday. An initiative which, according to President Sall, reminds and celebrates “the values which underpin the remarkable identity of the Senegalese Nation”. “For many of our avenues, streets and squares, the names still refer to a bygone, even painful, past,” notes Macky Sall, who encourages mayors to follow the initiative of the mayor of Dakar-Plateau. “I urge our mayors, of all persuasions, to bring up to date the required changes so that public roads and squares of our cities and towns bear names that reflect our national heritage and our collective imagination.”

According to President Sall, the fact that a child from Fouta, native of Sine, is celebrated today in Dakar, symbolizes the “real Senegal”, “the Senegal inherited from our ancestors, the Senegal that we love; one and the same Nation where everyone has their place, which recognizes and values its diversities, to give meaning to living together in national unity and social harmony. This living together in the acceptance of our diversity, we find it here: Barthélemy Dias in the City of Dakar, Alioune Ndoye in the Plateau and an avenue in the heart of Dakar which bears the name of Macky Sall… ».

In his speech, President Sall returned to the role of cities. “Cities are not just cement and concrete, iron and glass. Cities have a heart and a soul. Cities live and express themselves. Through their avenues and streets, through their squares and symbolic buildings, cities speak to us and listen to us; they look at us and challenge us. They tell their story, bear witness to their present and predict their future. Therefore, having your name linked to a city means being one body and soul with its history, its present and its future.” The President, who paid tribute to the Lebou community, recalled the major investments made, as well as the projects to make the Senegalese capital more attractive.

He thus cites as part of the infrastructure carried out, the development and beautification of the Corniche-Ouest and other places in the city with green spaces, the restoration of the Koussoum beach, the flyovers to facilitate traffic. Projects include the Museum on the life and works of the Prophet Mohamed, (Peace and blessings be upon him) located between the Grand Théâtre Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose and the Museum of Black Civilization, the new headquarters of the RTS and finally, a new hospital on the site of the old Dantec hospital and the modern Polyclinic of the Main hospital. After Saint-Louis which also gave his name to a major artery, it was the turn of Dakar to pay tribute to the 4th President of Senegal whose mandate ends in a few months.
mamewoury@lequotidien.sn