The 2000s were born under good auspices. With a legendary political alternation, footballers who held high the national colours in Mali, South Korea and Japan. They heralded hope after decades of doubt. But they were to be erased by a tragedy: on the night of September 26, 2002, Le Joola, a symbol of the integration of the South, sank into the depths of the Atlantic. Officially, 1863 people perished. Yet, it remains a faceless drama. None held responsible. The file is proscribed in Senegal. Without a culprit, families will always be haunted by the demons of loneliness. Nevertheless, human stupidity should not have known this prescription. This morning, families will gather to mourn their dead. Alone.Such trivialisation of an event that should embrace an entire country in mourning. In the end, nothing has changed.They boarded the ferry, Le Joola to experience an exceptional journey between Ziguinchor and Dakar.But they were caught up in horror in the middle of the big blue, transformed into an unspeakable marine cemetery.On the night of September 26, 2002, the giant ferry, which connected the West to the South, sank into the waters of the Atlantic.Caught up in a weak hurricane in Gambian waters, it sank into the depths of the Atlantic together with all the passengers and crew.The toll is heavy: officially, it is 1863 dead and only 64 survivors.More than a state secret, the exact number of victims of the shipwreck is taboo.In the history of global civil disasters, the sinking of The Joola precedes the Titanic, which had caused « just » 1500 deaths.In this country, the word « Joola » is undoubtedly the one that provokes the deepest emotions in all strata of society.Twenty years later, the disappeared of the Joola still haunt the country.To commemorate the shipwreck, every year the families of the victims redo the dreadful ceremonial with their hearts embraced by pain, melancholy, incomprehension and also questions.Twenty years later, Senegal swallows its sob of misfortune every day and plunges back into this fatal atmosphere.How a drama… of such humane magnitude could have happened?How could Le Joola sink so quickly?How and how?Twenty years later, the riddle has never been pierced.And the questions have never found answers, despite the extent of the drama.According to the State, the captain of the boat, swept away by the swells, left with his secrets.The story ends here: no prosecution, recommended investigations have not been followed up.By compensating the families of the victims, which is the main thing except, in the eyes of the State, which has given each of them, 10 million CFA francs.The promise of the erection of a memorial never kept.Today, it takes the heart and all the love of a country to keep the faith.The drama has no face, but the ordeal is very real.Yet the magnitude of the tragedy is multiplied by human error that has never been highlighted to unravel the flaws in the system.Because the sordid revelations, contained in the various reports, show that the hand of man is behind this shipwreck which has not revealed all its secrets kept always in the deep ocean because of the non-rising of the wreck. Guilty Negligence Designed for only 550 passengers, the Le Joola ferry carried nearly 2,000 people on the dramatic evening of September 26.The various technical investigation reports have mainly insisted on these faults erected as a rule in the operation of the boat, arguing that the Minister of Transport has always complained about the recurrent insecurity on board the ship.All reports attest to this: The Joola was in precarious stability at the time of the disaster.On the way, the ship had to face the bad weather including heavy rains and gusts of wind.Surprised, the passengers moved en masse to the deck.As a result, the centre of gravity went beyond the permissible limits as the helmsman’s manoeuvres to straighten the boat that lay on its port side.It is 23:00 hrs.Between Le Joola and the national marines, the last contact took place on September 26 at 22:00 p.m. Before it capsized, even the midnight vacation was not assured.Eventually, everything went to waste.
Today, those responsible maybe « nebulous », but the ordeal of the victims is clearly visible.So many nightmares populate their screens.In the face of this ineffable horror, the families of the victims and the survivors will only have to oppose it with their faith and resignation.This morning, petrified, they will plunge back into mourning, time will be suspended above their heads.Without awakening the ghosts of Joola that populate the Senegalese consciousness.Twenty years later, this dossier is yet to reveal all its secrets.It is a State affair…By Bocar SAKHO / bsakho@lequotidien.sn 

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH