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Episode details

World Service,18 Feb 2026,22 mins

What prompted weeks-long students protests in Senegal?

Focus on Africa

Available for over a year

University students in Senegal have been protesting in demand of payment of their stipend from the government. They say the allowance, paid to students mostly from low-income backgrounds, has not been disbursed for months. A week ago, a protest at the country's main Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar left one student dead after a confrontation between the protestors and the police. The push by the learners comes at a time when Senegal is facing a high debt burden. And we hear from award-winning poet Hafsat Abdullahi on the evolution of spoken word poetry in Africa, and its role in cultural preservation and activism. Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Bella Twine and Ayuba Iliya Technical Producer: Herbert Masua Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

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