Takin' It To The Streets

So going to a soccer game in any country outside of the U.S. is supposed to be an unforgettable experience. Well, they sure did not disappoint here! I already mentioned that Senegal was disqualified from 2010 World Cup possibilities by not winning last Saturday against The Gambia. Now, the rest of the story. A few days prior, the proverbial straw indeed broke the camel’s back. After weeks, or perhaps months, of electricity outages, at what appeared like deliberate times of the day, the citizens had enough. The explanation of gasoline for the power plants being too expensive to purchase in sufficient quantities (and you thought George Bush and his oil friends wreaked havoc only in the U.S.), the explanation that there was just too much demand for the capacity, and the explanation that the government was blocking Senelec (the national electricity company) from acquiring fuel, clearly did not suffice. The citizens, especially those in the poorer districts, set up road blocks around the city with tires and lit them on fire. The city streets were in chaos and the national guard was called in to restore order. Remember the black out of 2003 in the U.S.--imagine that daily! No need nor ability to buy food for more than one day; it WILL spoil. (Perhaps that’s what got me sick yesterday...) Have you ever showered and shaved by flashlight?
Anyway, the next day the power was back on all over the country and did not go off for even 5 minutes for 2 1/2 days straight. That brings us back to the weekend and the soccer match. Friday saw a power outage, yet it was on all day Saturday leading up to and during the game. After Senegal tied and was disqualified, pandemonium began. Fans started throwing whatever they had at the Senegalese players on the field. Riot police were brought in with shields to hurriedly rush the players into the tunnel and clubhouse amidst a downpour of garbage. We decided to leave the stadium as quickly as possible. It took us a while to weave through the crowds, and when leaving the grounds, we saw masses of humanity rushing out of other gates as if they were being chased by the police. We picked up our pace, made it outside, reached a hill and turned around for a glance backward. I saw people running in all directions--out of the stadium, into the stadium; it was utter chaos. Then in the distance you saw smoke billowing from inside and around the far end of the stadium. Was it tear gas or fire or both? We didn’t know, we just headed toward the main road and an empty taxi. The police were rushing traffic and did not want any cars to stop. We managed to run after a taxi, jumped in--against his wishes--and started our escape. Within fifty meters we came to a halt on the freeway, because yet again, upset, unemployed, hopeless youth started blocking the road with tires and were ready to set them alight. Out of nowhere came the siren of an ambulance, and for some reason, the youth picked up the tires off the road, our taximan hauled out of there, and we were free! I never saw the ambulance, nor saw fire on the road, but when I reached home, that’s all everyone was talking about. The streets were on fire and the people had had enough. The national guard again came in, and it took several hours to restore a semblance of order. When I went out dancing with Zacheria later that night, all the major intersections were manned by army personnel. Needless to say, the electricity did not go out that night, nor at all on Sunday. The next outage was Tuesday. Since then, the outages have been less frequent and of shorter durations--although I’m writing this entry on the computer’s battery because of the latest one. So, what’s going on here? Who’s at fault? It doesn’t help that yesterday I received an electricity bill for one month usage in the amount of $1,875.00! Who’s behind this madness?! Are we nearing a breaking point? How much longer will the otherwise patient, tolerant, forgiving Senegalese put up with thess crimes? It’s hard to say; but again, those who exploit will continue to do so, until revolution occurs. And the people here are getting really, really tired.