The protest against the high cost of living moved from social media to the streets on Saturday in Dakar. Launched online, the “30 Days for the Fair Price” campaign now intends to continue its actions in the face of rising prices, rents, and electricity costs.
On Saturday, September 5, several dozen people took part in the “March of Empty Baskets” in Dakar, organized as part of the “30 Days for the Fair Price” campaign. The procession started in the Castors neighborhood and headed to the Jet-d’Eau roundabout.
Demonstrators chose a simple symbol: empty baskets, bowls, and kitchen utensils, to illustrate the difficulties households face in covering daily expenses. On placards and in slogans, several demands recurred: the price of foodstuffs, the cost of housing, and that of electricity, particularly through the prepaid Woyofal system.
A movement born on social media
The movement began a few days earlier on the internet. The “30 Days for the Fair Price” campaign was launched by consumers and content creators who denounce the rising cost of living and call for measures to boost purchasing power.
According to reports, the movement already claimed more than 3,000 people before the march. It also called for a gradual boycott of certain products considered too expensive. The mobilization is notably driven by influencer Bathie Drizzy, one of its co-founders. After the march, he stressed the apolitical nature of the initiative. “No political actor is behind us,” he said, explaining that the goal was to draw authorities’ attention to the difficulties faced by the population.
Prices crystallize anger
The campaign is based on very concrete concerns. Reports highlighted the rise in meat prices: the kilogram of beef, previously announced at around 4,000 CFA francs, could reach 5,500 CFA francs, while mutton was sold for up to 7,000 CFA francs at some outlets. These figures correspond to price surveys reported by the media and do not constitute an official national price.
The issue now goes beyond food. Protesters also highlighted rent, electricity, and other daily expenses. This expansion of demands gives the movement a broader scope than a simple protest against the price of a few products.
Pressure becomes political
Saturday’s march sparked political reactions, including from Aldiouma Sow, described as an adviser to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. In a Facebook post, he sharply criticized the mobilization and called on young participants to prioritize work. He notably denounced what he considers “populist messianism.”
This reaction alone does not constitute an official position of the Senegalese government. However, it shows that the mobilization is beginning to provoke positions within the presidential camp.
Meanwhile, the high cost of living continues to dominate the Senegalese press review this Monday, September 7, a sign that the issue now goes beyond the weekend’s mobilization.
The movement wants to continue
The organizers do not present the march as an isolated action. After the gathering, the “30 Days for the Fair Price” collective welcomed the mobilization and announced the continuation of its actions. The question now is whether this campaign can become a lasting part of the public debate and obtain concrete responses from the authorities.
The government itself had recently placed purchasing power, prices, and rents among its priorities. The Council of Ministers on September 2 called for strengthening price control mechanisms and accelerating rent regulation. The “empty baskets” mobilization thus comes at a time when street pressure and government announcements converge on the same terrain: the daily budget of Senegalese households.
A protest to watch
For now, the mobilization is mainly driven by citizens and social media actors. It is not yet possible to speak of a national movement comparable to a structured political mobilization. But its potential is real: the issue directly touches food, housing, electricity, and purchasing power—four concerns likely to affect a large part of the population. Unlike a classic political controversy, the question posed by the “empty baskets” is very simple: how much does the daily life of a Senegalese household cost today, and what can the government actually do to make it more affordable?
