Ousmane Sonko

As I sat there listening to the rain, I thought about the political changes happening in the country.

President Basaru Daomei Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko's administration is pushing for reforms, and here in Fandion, people are hopeful.

The Nelson Mandela Bridge, which opened in 2022, has already changed things, cutting travel time to Banjul and connecting us more firmly to the wider region.

But for the villages south of the river, The isolation remains until the rains subside.

There is also a political undercurrent today.

A defamation complaint by grandsons of Sarine Tauba against National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko over remarks about dirty money entering the holy city led to an investigation in early September.

It is widely discussed in the cafes and markets here.

The tension between political ambition and religious sanctity is a constant thread in Senegalese life, and Tauba sits at the center of it.