“We, the wrestlers of Senegal, heirs to a tradition of courage, discipline, and honor, today issue a strong and fraternal appeal to our children, our sisters, and our brothers, our students. In these difficult times, we urge you to remain calm, exercise restraint, and above all, to preserve life, our most precious asset.” This is the message issued by Gris Bordeaux and Co. in a statement published this Wednesday, following the crisis at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD).

 

Indeed, the students are demanding payment of their scholarships.

 

Thus, the wrestlers declared: "We know your trials, we understand the mental, material and social pressure that weighs on you. But we have confidence in your maturity, in your sense of responsibility and in your great collective intelligence."

 

To the State of Senegal, “under the leadership of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye,” they reaffirmed their encouragement to pursue a peaceful and innovative solution. “Your Technological New Deal project can offer a structuring response: modernization of scholarship management, digital tracking for each student, and a reduction in the delays and disruptions that fuel misunderstanding and frustration. To Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, we respectfully call for the acceleration of the construction of regional universities. Decentralizing higher education means bringing knowledge closer to the regions, reducing the burden on families, limiting vulnerabilities, and protecting our young people from the pitfalls and temptations of large cities,” they argued.

 

Finally, Gris Bordeaux and Co. argued that as social actors, informal educators and respected figures in our communities, "we remain available at any time to help restore calm, rebuild trust and strengthen the national cohesion that is the strength of our Senegalese 'Living Together'."