{"id":11765,"date":"2024-03-28T04:14:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T04:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/from-village-to-prison-to-africas-youngest-elected-president\/"},"modified":"2024-03-28T04:14:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T04:14:07","slug":"from-village-to-prison-to-africas-youngest-elected-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/from-village-to-prison-to-africas-youngest-elected-president\/","title":{"rendered":"From Village to Prison to Africa\u2019s Youngest Elected President"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/03\/27\/multimedia\/27senegal-1-gfvt\/27senegal-1-gfvt-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"From Village to Prison to Africa\u2019s Youngest Elected President\" title=\"From Village to Prison to Africa\u2019s Youngest Elected President\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The first election that Bassirou Diomaye Faye ever won was the one that just made him the president-elect of Senegal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Before his <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/25\/world\/africa\/senegal-presidential-election-results.html\" title=\"\">victory in the election<\/a> last Sunday, 10 days after he was released from jail, Mr. Faye had only ever run for mayor of his hometown, Ndiaganiao \u2014 a small settlement on a sandy track, crisscrossed by horse carts carrying women and their wares to the market. He lost that election, in 2022, to the ruling party\u2019s candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Few in Senegal know the remarkable journey of the 44-year-old tax inspector who rode a wave of youth discontent to become \u2014 once inaugurated \u2014 Africa\u2019s youngest elected president. Provisional results officially released on Tuesday showed he won with 54 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But through interviews with family and friends in Ndiaganiao and the outlying village where he was raised, a picture emerged of a studious, loyal, curious and sometimes stubborn man, rooted in Senegalese traditions and his Islamic faith, with a deep understanding of the predicament facing his country\u2019s legion of frustrated youth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe didn\u2019t come from nowhere,\u201d Diomaye Faye, the uncle after whom he is named, said in an interview at the president-elect\u2019s family home, a tidy, modest compound that hosted a huge, impromptu party on Sunday night. He added, \u201cThis family is not new to ruling.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Faye\u2019s forefather, a hunter, was the founder of their village centuries ago. His grandfather was the village chief and one of the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/02\/22\/movies\/tirailleurs-african-troops-france-world-war-i.html\" title=\"\">African soldiers conscripted by France<\/a> to fight in World War I before he was badly wounded in battle. Returning home, his grandfather fought for the establishment of the first high school in Ndiaganiao \u2014 a struggle that was such a threat to colonial-era administrators that it landed him in jail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cBassirou grew up in an environment where people fight for other people\u2019s rights,\u201d the elder Diomaye Faye said of his nephew.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It was standing up for his political ally that got Mr. Faye jailed. He was imprisoned last April over a Facebook post criticizing the government for its prosecution of Ousmane Sonko, Senegal\u2019s foremost opposition politician.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Sonko was barred from running for president after he was <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/06\/01\/world\/africa\/senegal-ousmane-sonko.html\" title=\"\">convicted of defamation and of corrupting a minor<\/a> (he had been accused of rape but was acquitted on those charges). So Mr. Sonko named Mr. Faye his proxy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the time, Mr. Faye was imprisoned in a tiny cell where he slept, ate, showered and exercised with three other prisoners. He spent 10 months in that jail cell, from which he started his bid for the presidency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But few knew Mr. Faye\u2019s. The two men immediately hit the campaign trail together, trying to change that. The goal appeared to be to make their names synonymous, and it may have worked: On election day, many young people said they were \u201cvoting for Sonko.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Faye describes himself as someone who normally doesn\u2019t talk very much. But when he got out of jail and realized how much support he and Mr. Sonko had, he wanted to thank everyone personally, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhen I saw the number of people coming out, I just wanted to give all of them a hug,\u201d he said in a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_J2DNF_zR5I&amp;ab_channel=Senepeopleplus\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">long interview<\/a> with Senepeople, a local media outlet, last week, \u201cand say sorry for all the trouble you had to face.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In many ways, Mr. Faye comes across as a typical young Senegalese man, passionate on Facebook, often seen wearing wireless earbuds and seeming more comfortable in a traditional caftan than in the tailored Western-style suits favored by his predecessor, Mr. Sall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Until his time was swallowed up by politics, he was a keen soccer player, according to his childhood friend, Mor Sarr. He played most recently on a team of tax inspectors in the capital, Dakar. Like many young people in soccer-mad Senegal, Mr. Faye is a fan of the Spanish team Real Madrid, Mr. Sarr said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Bassirou Diomaye Faye (pronounced BASS-ih-roo jo-MY FIE) grew up in a house occupied by more than 10 adults and a gaggle of children he ran around with, according to his uncle. But he could often be found reading \u2014 a favorite, according to Mr. Sarr, was Dale Carnegie, the American author of \u201cHow to Win Friends and Influence People.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe\u2019s young in years, but not in his intelligence and behavior,\u201d said Mr. Faye\u2019s father, Samba Ndiagne Faye, 92, also a former village chief, sitting in the cool of his curtained living room with some of the village elders. Both he and his father went into politics, both of them in the ruling party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Samba Ndiagne Faye was often away from home because of his political activities, an absence that deeply affected the newly elected president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe hated politics,\u201d said Mr. Sarr, who said he grew up with Mr. Faye, shared a room with him at university in Dakar and introduced him to his first wife.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Rumors that Mr. Faye is \u201can Ibadou\u201d \u2014 local parlance for a fundamentalist Muslim \u2014 are false and politically motivated, Mr. Faye\u2019s family and friends said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe\u2019s religious, yes, but less religious than me,\u201d Mr. Sarr said, laughing. \u201cI don\u2019t dance. He dances. I don\u2019t listen to music. He does.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Faye has two wives. Polygamy is common in Senegal, including among his ethnic group, the Serer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cBeing married to two wives is a sign of responsibility,\u201d said his elder brother, Ibrahima Faye. \u201cHe\u2019s very proud of being polygamous, and he doesn\u2019t hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He has four children with his first wife, one of whom is named Ousmane, after Mr. Sonko. He married his second wife, who lives and works in France, early last year. The couple saw each other only once between their wedding and Mr. Faye\u2019s arrest. The next time they were together, it was on the campaign trail, Mr. Sarr said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Faye and Mr. Sonko have emphasized Senegal\u2019s sovereignty from France, its former colonial ruler, and the need to replace the France-backed currency. The uncle compared his nephew\u2019s political agenda to the American Federalist leaders\u2019 quest for independence from Britain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe battles that they\u2019re fighting right now are the battles that Madison, John Jay and Hamilton fought,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Before the election, Mr. Faye declared his assets, an unusual move for a politician in West Africa. The list included a house in Dakar \u2014 built on land that was given to him by the government as part of a program allocating land to civil servants. It also included a field a few miles from Ndiaganiao where the president-elect grows fruit and vegetables to sell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Sarr kicked at the cracked earth surrounding Mr. Faye\u2019s orchard of papaya trees, which have suffered since he went to jail.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cNot enough water,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Faye had been planning on leaving his job as a tax inspector to focus on politics and agriculture, Mr. Sarr said. But that was back when hardly anyone knew who he was.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Senegalese are learning who Mr. Faye is fast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Nineteen-year-old Baye Laye Ndiaye stood taking selfies in the Faye compound on Tuesday morning. Mr. Ndiaye, who travels the country hawking mobile phones, had asked for directions to the house just to see where his new president came from.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last year, Mr. Ndiaye was one of around 1,000 people jailed in connection with protests that followed Mr. Sonko\u2019s arrest. He said he had been walking down the street wearing a plastic bracelet with the word PASTEF on it, the name of the opposition party founded by Mr. Sonko. That was enough to get him locked up for three months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He was delighted to find that Mr. Faye\u2019s roots were humble, not so different from his own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cSenegal needs presidents who have this kind of background,\u201d he said, looking around at the peeling paint and the cracked tiles. \u201cDiomaye knows the suffering people are facing\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Mady Camara<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first election that Bassirou Diomaye Faye ever won was the one that just made him the president-elect of Senegal. Before his victory in the election last Sunday, 10 days after he was released from jail, Mr. Faye had only ever run for mayor of his hometown, Ndiaganiao \u2014 a small settlement on a sandy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/03\/27\/multimedia\/27senegal-1-gfvt\/27senegal-1-gfvt-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1664,2889,2627,5918,4616,706],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11767,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11765\/revisions\/11767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}