Ban on civic actions at a school in Greater Dakar: AfricTivistes calls for greater openness from local authorities

AfricTivistes believes that civic initiative is in no way a threat to political actors. On the contrary, it complements political action and should be encouraged and protected by central and local authorities, as well as by the police.

For the past month, the association “Simple Action Citoyenne (SAC)” has been working to prepare for the reopening of schools in the Commune of Grand-Dakar. It launched a call on Twitter for people to take part in refurbishing the toilets at “Issa Kane” primary school, whose facilities were in a terrible state and unusable. To the association members’ great surprise, their efforts were brought to a halt. On Friday 19 June 2020, the police interrupted the organisation’s work as it was carrying out the finishing touches, including painting the toilets, after completing the plumbing, carpentry and electrical work. According to SAC President Mamadou Junior Diakhaté, who is also a primary school teacher, the mayor of Grand-Dakar had disapproved of their work. He had initially ordered them to stop, on the grounds that only the municipality was entitled to carry out such work. When SAC members, supported by the school’s headteacher, refused, the mayor reportedly called the police, who stopped the work, claiming that food-distribution operations under “FORCE Covid-19” were due to take place at the school.

AfricTivistes considers SAC’s actions to be an exercise of civic participation, guaranteed under Title XI of the 2001 Constitution, as amended by Constitutional Law No. 2016-10 of 5 April 2016, concerning local authorities. Article 102 of the Constitution states: “Local authorities constitute the institutional framework through which citizens participate in the management of public affairs. (…)” Civic participation is also provided for under Section II of Title I of Law No. 2013-10 of 28 December 2013 on the General Code of Local Authorities. Article 6 of that law states: “Any natural or legal person may submit to the president of the departmental council and to the mayor any proposals relating to the promotion of the economic and social development of the local authority concerned and the improvement of the functioning of institutions.” AfricTivistes is also convinced that SAC’s initiative is a public health undertaking protected by the Constitution. Article 8 of the Constitution recognises the right to a healthy environment as one of the collective rights guaranteed by the Republic of Senegal. This provision is reinforced by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, whose Article 24 enshrines peoples’ right to a healthy environment.

According to SAC President Mamadou Junior Diakhaté, this is not the first time the mayor of Grand-Dakar has resorted to underhanded or unconventional tactics to sabotage the association’s work. He says that four or even five months ago, the mayor sabotaged their Clean Up Challenge on a local site. The mayor, he says, simply sees SAC members as potential political opponents.

AfricTivistes therefore believes that civic initiatives cannot be blocked on the basis of unfounded allegations — still less by calling in the police as if the people involved were criminals.

Given that refurbishing the toilets would in no way prevent the food-distribution operations from going ahead;

Given that the rights to a healthy environment and to civic participation are guaranteed by the Senegalese Constitution, national laws and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights;

Considering that SAC’s civic actions respond to urgent community needs and to a request from a Senegalese school during a health crisis;

AfricTivistes condemns the conduct of the mayor of Grand-Dakar, supported in this matter by the police.

AfricTivistes believes that civic initiative is in no way a threat to political actors. On the contrary, it complements political action and should be encouraged and protected by central and local authorities, as well as by the police.

AfricTivistes urges local authorities to pay closer attention to civic initiatives and work more collaboratively with those involved.

AfricTivistes calls on the Grand-Dakar municipality to allow SAC to continue its work for the benefit of the pupils, who are due to return to class on 25 June.