Congrès de Pastef : Sonko fixe le cap d’un « parti révolutionnaire » chargé d’organiser la souveraineté
Re-elected as leader of Pastef-Les Patriotes, Ousmane Sonko delivered one of his most doctrinal speeches since the party came to power this Saturday. Addressing delegates gathered in Diamniadio, he outlined what he considers Pastef's new historical mission: to move from a movement of rupture to an instrument of lasting transformation of the state and society. "People can seize power without managing to transform the state," he warned from the outset. For Sonko, the electoral victories of 2024 do not represent the culmination of the political struggle begun in 2014, but only the beginning of a new, more complex, and more demanding phase.
“Organizing sovereignty”
The president of Pastef repeatedly emphasized what now appears to be the party's ideological backbone. "Sovereignty is not decreed, it is organized," he declared to the applause of party members. According to him, political sovereignty remains incomplete without economic sovereignty, while economic sovereignty devoid of social justice benefits only a minority. He also asserted that no national sovereignty can be sustainable without a pan-African vision capable of addressing the challenges of globalization and large geopolitical blocs.
In a speech heavily influenced by African intellectual traditions, Sonko claimed the legacy of thinkers and leaders such as Cheikh Anta Diop, Amílcar Cabral, Thomas Sankara, Kwame Nkrumah, and Mamadou Dia. For him, these figures understood that independence could not be merely symbolic or legal, but must also be economic, cultural, and political. “A fragmented Africa remains vulnerable,” he argued, advocating for a sovereign Pan-Africanism based on cooperation among African peoples.
Building a "popular bloc"
One of the central concepts of his speech was that of the "popular bloc." According to Sonko, the democratic revolution he envisions rests on a social alliance still under construction, bringing together youth, workers, women, farmers, fishermen, artisans, intellectuals, artists, athletes, cultural figures, and the diaspora. He also paid tribute to the diverse spiritual and community traditions of Senegal, which he considers pillars of national cohesion. For the leader of the Patriots, the party's strength lies above all in its grassroots support. "Our party is a mass party. It is not a television party. It is not a social media party," he stated. "It is present in neighborhoods, villages, universities, workplaces, and the diaspora."
Discipline and training
A large part of the speech was devoted to the organizational future of Pastef. Sonko repeatedly emphasized the need for a disciplined, educational, and ideologically structured party. According to him, the success of the sovereignist project will largely depend on the quality of training for its activists. "We have the most formidable activists in the world," he declared, before calling for strengthening their political and intellectual preparation. For the party president, an organization that ceases to train its members ultimately becomes bureaucratic and gradually disconnects from the people. Echoing an idea dear to Amílcar Cabral, he asserted that the party's role should be to raise the level of political awareness among citizens in order to bring about lasting societal transformation.
Beyond internal organization, Sonko outlined several priorities that he considers essential to consolidating Senegal's sovereignty: building a productive economy, fighting corruption and rent-seeking, training youth, controlling national resources, and a "cultural battle" aimed at strengthening Senegalese people's confidence in their own capabilities.
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