Inspiring standpoints by David Dosseh

In 2005, dictator Gnassinabé Evadéma died suddenly of a heart attack. His son Faure seized power that very evening. Two months later, when the results of the election were announced, I was working as a surgeon at the main hospital in the capital. I stayed there three days and nights, operating non-stop. The army and militias had opened fire on protesters, 500 to 1000 were killed, 4,000 to 5,000 were injured. One boy, not yet twenty, asked me if he would make it. I told him yes. But his injuries were too severe. He died during surgery. This event was the trigger for me.

I don't have a specific tool in mind, rather a strategy: remobilization, through social networks and local communities (which is the very core of African societies). The new generation needs to accept the sacrifice that activism requires. In 2017, we organized a big march. It brought a lot of people together, but we hadn't planned what would come after, so it fell apart. A powerful form of activism in Togo could be the sit-in.

I think of Fovi Katakou, a relentless voice for a Togo free from dictatorship. Though paralyzed except for one arm, he refuses to be silenced. Even after being arrested and jailed, he's staying committed, especially online: organizing, raising awareness, building networks. He represents the activist of tomorrow: resilient, connected, unstoppable. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fovikate/

« One boy, not yet twenty, asked me if he would make it. I told him yes. But his injuries were too severe. He died during surgery. This event was the trigger for me. »