Bassirou on WhatsApp

On the 9th of February, Bassirou reached out to me on WhatsApp and we had a brief exchange. He said he was at home in Diabir, close to the university as his aunt did not allow him to leave the house, making him miss his classes. I asked what the reason was as to why his aunt did not allow him to leave the residence. Bassirou said that he had been out on the streets the previous night next to the university, protesting against the government with his friends. However, his aunt did not know about this until the last night, when Bassirou got teargassed by the police. His mates brought him back to his aunt’s house, who subsequently did not allow him to leave the house anymore out of fear that he would get hurt. “I am so ashamed”, “J’ai tellement honte”, Bassirou said over text. I asked why he felt ashamed, to which he replied that it was because he could not voice his anger with the government anymore, feeling like he let those close to him down, such as his family and friends. He continued saying that it felt like losing the struggle he was involved in. I tried reassuring him a bit, saying that he would not be useful for any cause if he got hurt so sitting certain situations out is not necessarily a bad thing. He agreed with me and showed me some of the images he took at the university the previous night.

Roadblock and fire in Ziguinchor seen from two different angles.