Senegal commemorates 18 years of Joola drama
A woman reflects on the graves of victims of the Joola shipwreck on September 26, 2017. SEYLLOU / AFP
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3 min
In Senegal, it is the 18th anniversary of the sinking of the Joola this Saturday, one of the deadliest in history.
On September 26, 2002, the ferry that linked Casamance, in the south of the country, to Dakar, sank off the coast of The Gambia.
Almost 2,000 people died, only 64 survived.
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With our correspondent in Dakar,
Charlotte Idrac
Context of pandemic obliges, the commemorations are marked by sobriety this Saturday: no large gatherings, the associations of victims call for observing a minute of silence, at 12h UT.
But for the survivors and relatives of the missing, the fight continues.
Place du Souvenir Africain in Dakar.
Martine Kourouma often comes to meditate in front of the ocean.
“
This place with the sea view, it's as if it brought me closer to the parents we have lost
”, she testifies.
Orphan from Joola, the almost thirty years old was 11 when her mother disappeared in the shipwreck.
“
It was a Friday morning, the landline rang once and hasn't stopped ringing all day.
"
Years go by, but the grievances of the victims remain the same.
In particular the refloating of the boat.
“
It's for mourning, because until now we don't have a place to bury our parents.
If the boat had been out for a long time, it would have reduced a weight.
The second thing is that it will allow us, on the legal side, to prove that the boat which was to go with two engines was with a single engine,
”says the young woman.
A memorial in Ziguinchor
The Joola was
carrying nearly four times as many passengers
as the authorized capacity.
For the victims, the context of the coronavirus pandemic echoes the sinking.
“
Regarding the pandemic situation, not all people necessarily respect the barrier measures.
In public transport, they restarted their overload.
Me, there are things that I got from Joola in my behavior.
Already, I do not enter overcrowded buses, there is also an individual responsibility
, ”explains Martine Kourouma.
Another claim of the families of the victims, the construction of a memorial in Ziguinchor.
A site was identified, but the file did not advance.
In cabinet this week, President Macky Sall called on the government to speed up the process.
An official ceremony was scheduled with wreath laying and prayers at 10 a.m. UT in Ziguinchor in the presence of the ministers of the Armed Forces and of Communication.
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