Senegal actually has oil. Magnificent opportunity that providence has placed in the bowels of our good earth. In this great, resilient Africa after having been atrociously ravaged by slavers and settlers, this small country of ours must have encountered in its journey a lucky star which has woven its destiny. The people who live there have had this intelligence that many others on the continent have not always had to preserve domestic stability and cohesion like the apple of their eye. We still can’t believe our eyes but the biggest news that has happened to us in a long time comes from these drops of oil that gushed from the mouth of Sangomar. In “Terre des Hommes”, Saint-Exupéry evoked water as if he were speaking to a living being. “With you,” he said, “all the powers that we had renounced return to us. You are a shady divinity. Of this other precious liquid without being vital but much more strategic, it is possible to say the same. Any civilization that discovers them on its soil or in its seabed has a decisive comparative advantage over others. We are no longer just on the world map. We appear in its center. But any new situation must give rise to a lot of reflection on the underlying issues. It poses formidable challenges. For all those who have this rare reference energy in their perishable hands and frail shoulders, constant vigilance is required. She must be intractable.
Give everything to the youth
The first support measure in the face of novelty is the increase in security and safety on each portion of the national territory. There must be zero tolerance in a country that is no longer quite the same. In this matter, Senegal has something to learn from. Saudi Arabia, for example, is a preferred destination for benchmarking. The 3rd largest producer in the world, the petromonarchy is as formidable in negotiation as in prevention. She doesn’t let anything pass that harms her higher interests to the point where you can hear the pins dropping. Without verticality or authority, in fact, no peace of mind is possible when you have this type of resources that everyone covets. The name of the lion is the guardian of his garden, says the adage. For the rest of us, there is a before and an after. As with the Saudis, oil revenues must be poured into education, training and culture as a priority. Give everything to the youth who must be armed to the teeth with science and above all detoxify from the folklore which holds them back enormously when the rest of the world is connected to algorithms and artificial intelligence.
All sectors of life are sick
The petrodollars of the Persian Gulf are intended above all for human capital which no longer lives in these countries of expedients but of fantastic experiences. Imagine that before becoming the oasis that it is today, Arabia was only a hostile desert. Pilgrims making the great journey to Mecca at the time slept under the stars and gorged themselves on frugal rice porridge. How far away are these austere times. Oil revenues were used for something there. The repercussions can be seen even with your eyes closed. The same must be true for Senegal. This country so close to paradise but which surprisingly continues its descent into hell. All sectors of life are suffering from a succession and chain of bad choices and incompetence. It’s as simple as anything. The primary purpose of oil is to play a role in the lives of people, for whom everything is urgent and depressing.
