Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Actuguinee.org
Published on 2024-03-15 16:30:01
Recently, due to persistent power outages, Guinea has been experiencing a wave of anger in some neighborhoods of Conakry and remote regions of the country. Frustrated by this situation, young people have set up barricades, disrupted traffic, set fire to tires on the roads, thrown projectiles at passersby and their vehicles, and clashed with security forces, tragically resulting in loss of life. This climate of unrest highlights the urgent need to distinguish between legitimate grievances and incivility, in a context where the population expresses a complex mix of hope for the future and despair in the face of current challenges.
At the heart of this unrest, it is essential to separate genuine legitimate demands from destructive actions of incivility. Whether it is to denounce power outages, corruption, demand democratic reforms, end military transitions, or restore constitutional order, the challenge remains the same: how to express anger constructively, without descending into violence and chaos?
Politicians, these merchants of chaos, often act in the shadows and seek to exploit these popular movements for their own ends. By fueling tensions and diverting attention from real problems to partisan squabbles, they betray the people’s aspirations in favor of their own personal interests.
Faced with these protests, our law enforcement forces sometimes, if not very often, respond disproportionately, thus fueling the cycle of violence and reinforcing the sense of impunity and injustice. Meanwhile, promises of reforms and investigations often seem futile to grieving families, accentuating their disillusionment.
In the specific case of power outages, rational explanations from the government fail to appease tensions. On the contrary, they can sometimes be contradictory, further frustrating and despairing citizens. For example, the contradictory statements from the Prime Minister and the director of the state-owned company, Electricité De Guinée, about the state of hydroelectric dams illustrate the crucial importance of transparent and coherent communication from authorities. While the Prime Minister claimed that the dams were dry, justifying the power outages, the director of the state-owned company contradicted him by stating that there was actually a problem with the dam lines, managed by Chinese companies, and that a communication problem had led to a misunderstanding between Guineans and the Chinese. This confusion in official explanations underscores the urgent need for transparent and unified communication to restore trust and alleviate tensions in Guinean society.
Protests can be crucial moments in the struggle for progress and justice, but only if conducted with wisdom and determination. The youth of Guinea have the power to transform their anger into a constructive force for change, by making their voices heard through the clarity of conviction and the courage of peaceful action.
In this tumultuous period, the youth of Guinea are faced with a crucial choice: to be carried away by anger and frustration, or to embrace a more noble and constructive path towards change. Are the destruction of public property and confrontations with law enforcement a reflection of our true desire for progress? Does yielding to violence bring us closer to our aspirations for a better future? Are we not capable of adopting peaceful and intelligent methods to express our concerns and demands? By uniting around values of respect, tolerance, and dialogue, could we not build a future where everyone finds their place and justice prevails?
The time has come for us, the youth of Guinea, to show maturity and responsibility. Let us rise with determination, but let us do so with wisdom and in respect of the fundamental principles that guide our society. It is by working together, with conviction and determination, that we can truly transform our anger into a constructive force for change.
Ousmane Boh Kaba
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