Since 2019, there have been more than 6 coups in the continent, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Central African Republic. The coups in Africa has been normalized. They don’t make the news anymore.
Two young boys walk past a torn billboard of former president of Guinea, Alpha Condé, in Conakry
Photograph: John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images
Many international news outlets claims that the army taking over in African countries is on the rise again. In Guinea, Alpha Condé was just a billboard president after all. As most elected African presidents, he was taken down by the army. The Guinean special forces seized and accused him of taking the path of authoritarianism.
The photographer was successful in capturing the two kids walking by the billboard of the president. It tells a lot about the doomed future of the country. The growing youth in Guinea is witnessing this ongoing process of instability, in addition to the corrupt governments. Not only the photographer captures the gap between the two generations, but he also raises many questions about the relation between the world of politics the progenitors of an African country.
The photographer also raises the question concerning the working class by capturing the worker working under the billboard. First, it shows the bad working conditions of those laborers and second, it denotes the bad situation of infrastructures in the country.
The rule of the army in many African countries hinders their development process. Because the majority of elected presidents are corrupt, and they usually win by bribing people to vote for them, there is no such thing as sustainable development. One of the main reasons that people accept their bribes is because they are under poverty line. I would call it a form of taking advantage of the weak situation of people to get elected easily without a reasonable program of the party.
Up until today, people in Guinea are still wondering about the future of the country. While the army is in control of the transitory situation, Guineans are looking forward to know about the future president of Guinea.
Author: Imad BAAZIZI
cultureXchange 