By Politico Staff Writer
Several Media institutions in Senegal have ceased their daily publications following heavy taxation by the authorities, months after the government of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected.
This situation has attracted the attention of the organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF), whose director for sub-Saharan Africa, Sadibou Marong, has expressed his concerns and called for an urgent dialogue between the media and public authorities.
The press is accusing the government of freezing the bank accounts of media companies and seizing their equipment over alleged non-payment of taxes. This, the officials supported by saying they were trying to end practices that lead to financial embezzlement and mismanagement in the media industry.
Such a crackdown has however had great effects on the media in terms of productivity and huge financial stress.
The Senegalese press group African Communication Édition (AFRICOME SAU) a week ago announced their suspension of the publication of the daily newspapers Stades and Sunu Lamb on Saturday, August 3, 2024. The publication Director, Mamadou Ibra Kane said in a release “Indeed, the Senegalese press is experiencing an unprecedented crisis for a decade, a crisis exacerbated by Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. Today, the Senegalese media are evolving in a very hostile environment, marked by tax pressure, the absence of advertising law, financing at prohibitive rates, the lack of funds for the digitisation of national media...”
Stades newspaper is the first sports daily in the history of the Senegalese press, established in January 2003. According to Mamadou Ibra Kane, “From all this period until last Saturday, Stades was the leader of the sports press and for 21 and half years of existence, Stades has published under 6,228 issues, for an overall circulation of more than two hundred million copies.
The Sunu Lamb newspaper, the only wrestling daily in the world, was created in December 2004. “The Daily of the Senegalese Arenas” holds the record of circulation of the national daily press on a day, with tips of 150 thousand copies, for a total circulation of more than 160 million copies in nearly 20 years of existence,” informs the publication director.
In another development, the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital has announced the launch on August 16, of a new official platform for the census of media in Senegal. This initiative the ministry says aims to centralise and facilitate access to information about the country’s various press outlets, to better structure the national media landscape.
The independence of the media in Senegal was again put to test, especially during election periods with claims of editorial interferences, sometimes motivated by political considerations, as well as the creation of newspapers for purely propaganda purposes, thus further weakening the independence of the press.
However, the Senegalese President is quoted to have said on Wednesday this week during the Council of Ministers meeting that the crisis in the press sector requires special attention from the government and appropriate recovery measures, asking the relevant authorities concerned to ensure the full application of the press code and the proper functioning of press companies.
“Calling for a renewed dialogue with the national press”, he said, noting “that the general situation of the latter deserves special attention from the government and appropriate recovery measures.”
“Indeed, a professional, responsible and respectful press of the rule of law remains a major pillar of democracy,” a statement from the Council of Ministers’, quoting President Faye.
President Faye swept into office following elections in March this year. Days later he celebrated his 44th birthday becoming Africa’s youngest elected President.
He had spent 11 months in prison together with his ally and popular opposition figure, Ousmane Sonko on charges that critics of the then government of President Macky Sall said were politically- motivated. Both Faye and Sonko were released a week before the March polls.
Faye appointed Sonko as Prime Minister amidst high hopes from their mainly youthful supporters that they would address various problems such as high youth unemployment and economic hardship.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (16/08/24)
