Senegalese citizens have recently been embroiled in a debate sparked by an image showing the President of the Republic engaged in a game of Scrabble, highlighting broader questions about public discourse and national priorities.
Political commentator Alain Sambou observed the reaction with both amusement and concern.
“Some comments on this subject outrage me, surprise me, shock me and say a lot about the mentality of my people,” he wrote, noting that the debate reveals persistent behaviors that hold back the country.
Sambou criticized the tendency to focus on trivial issues while neglecting pressing societal challenges.
“Elsewhere, science defies nature to align with human evolution, medicine makes significant advances, the economy juggles with head-spinning figures, and young people innovate to shape the future.
Meanwhile, my country and my people cling to details, get involved with things that do nothing to enhance humanity, do not develop the nation, and do not nourish the mind or stomach,” he explained.
Sambou emphasized that social media, while a tool for communication, has become “a formidable agent of inaction, conditioned thinking, delay, and sometimes stupidity.” He argued that Senegalese citizens are quick to argue over minor distractions, while issues like insecurity, urban cleanliness, and economic development are often neglected.
“Frankly, this image, a brief moment of pause and relaxation, shows no lack of concentration or seriousness on the part of the President. Nothing scandalous, nothing reprehensible. Just a man, even if he is Head of State, who sits back and breathes,” Sambou wrote. He stressed that such moments are universal and necessary for leaders to recharge for the responsibilities they carry.
Calling for a more constructive approach, Sambou urged citizens to engage in opposition and debate “with elegance, truth, and grandeur,” focusing on values, ideas, and progress rather than personal attacks or trivialities.
“Our real problem lies elsewhere. Not in a photo. Let’s open our eyes to what’s essential. Let’s avoid distractions. Let’s be more demanding of ourselves to truly be counted among the nations that are moving the world forward,” he concluded.
The debate over the image serves as a reflection of Senegal’s broader struggle to balance civic engagement, media influence, and attention to pressing national issues.
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