Twenty years after, the people of Senegal and indeed Africa will never forget one of the greatest ship sinking tragedies to befall the continent when Africa’s biggest ship ever made, MV Le Joola, capsized off the coast of Senegal, drowning nearly 1,863 passengers on board.
Now tagged ‘The African Titanic’, MV Le Joola, a Senegalese government-owned ferry had capsized off the coast of The Gambia on September, 26. 2002, with 1,863 passengers drowning and 64 rescued, making it the second-worst non-military disaster in maritime history after the original Titanic ship sinking.
On the fateful day, the ship, named after the Jola people of Southern Senegal, and constructed in Germany in 1990, was plying the route from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, when it ran into a violent storm, farther out to sea than it was licensed to sail, according to a report from an inquiry set up by the Senegalese government.
Maritime officials at the time said the ferry had a capacity of 536 passengers, but an estimated 2,000 passengers, about half of whom were without tickets, managed to get on board, amounting to nearly four times the ship’s design load capacity.
The government inquiry report stated that there were multiple causes for the disaster including overcrowding, poor management, as well as the ship being in poor condition and not sea worthy.
A local media had tried to piece the events leading to the African Titanic disaster thus:
“Le Joola usually traveled twice a week and often carried women who sold mangoes and palm oil in Dakar. At the time of the disaster, the ship had been out of service for almost a year undergoing repairs, which included replacement of the port side engine.
“At about 1:30 pm on 26 September 2002, Le Joola set sail from Ziguinchor in the Casamance region on one of its frequent trips between southern Senegal and Dakar.
“Although the ship was designed to carry a maximum of 580 passengers and crew, an estimated 1,863 passengers are believed to have been on board, including 185 people who boarded the ship from Carabane, an island where there was no formal port of entry or exit for passengers.
Video Courtesy: Le Monde Afrique
“The exact number of passengers remain unknown as some Senegalese organisations put the number at over 2,000), but there were 1,034 travelers with tickets.
“The rest of the passengers were either not required to hold tickets (children aged less than 5) or had been permitted to travel for free, as often happened.
“In the middle of the night, 40 kilometres off the coast, as tropical rains fell and strong winds raged, the hugely overloaded ship capsized.
“It took more than 16 hours for help to arrive. Sixty-four passengers survived.
Families of the victims tried to establish the truth, some filing a complaint against the Senegalese state for negligence, but the case was officially closed in 2003.
A procedure was also initiated in France by relatives of the 18 Frenvch nationals who died on board, but a court in Paris dismissed the case as being outside its jurisdiction in October 2018.
Vice President Kashim Shettima believes the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the President Bola Tinubu administration is gradually transformating Nigeria into a global investment hub and a prime investment destination.
The Nigerian VP who made the assertion on Friday during a High-level dialogue on delivering the “Renewed Hope Agenda” on the theme, “Nigeria’s Global Ambitions: From Hope to Reality,” held in Abuja, said the policy thrust of the present administration was aimed at repositioning Nigeria with the agenda hinged on the “core pillars of democracy, development, demographics, and diaspora engagement.”
Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, noted that the “present moment serves as the opportune time to remind both Nigerians and the global community that Nigeria stands ready to embrace the future and conduct business.”
Shettima went on to outline the Tinubu administration’s ambitious roadmap, noting that the President’s commitment to bold reforms and strategic partnerships to revive the nation’s economy and enhance security has been applauded by the international community including the United States, the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), among others.
“Our reason for this gathering is less about the certainty of our vision for this nation. This has never been in doubt. We are here because of our place in a world of opportunities—a world that can’t afford to neglect or underestimate our place,” Shettima said.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not just a policy framework; it is a statement of commitment, a covenant between us and the people.”
The V pointed out that at the heart of the administration’s foreign policy approach, dubbed the ‘Tinubu Doctrine,’ is a ‘4-D Diplomacy Strategy’ centred on promoting democracy, driving economic development, harnessing Nigeria’s demographic potential, and engaging with the diaspora community.
“This is further evidenced by the recently announced $10 billion Diaspora Fund, a multi-sectoral investment initiative set to be launched soon and expected to strengthen ties with our diaspora community while boosting forex inflows to support our national development plans,” the Vice President said.
On security challenges dogging the country, Shettima assured of the administration’s commitment to guaranteeing the safety of lives and properties through regional and national interventions.
“This is the time to partner for democracy, for development, for peace, and for security,” he enthused.
Frederick John Muleya, a differently abled person based in Choma town, Southern Province, has shared some insights of changes being made to people like him in discussing freedom of expression and other various issues.
Recently appointed as a Ward Development Committee for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to represent persons with disabilities in his area, Muleya expressed optimism of inclusivity and freedom of expression.
He expressed believe that this was a starting point for persons with disabilities to have a platform which can be used to discuss critical issues such as freedom of expression.
In an interview with Zambia Monitor in Choma, Muleya’s hope was that persons with disabilities would now be able to have freedom of expression, especially through media coverage.
“In terms of freedom, right now there are some changes but before this government, it was very difficult. The new government is trying to be inclusive with persons with disabilities. There are some changes.
“Sometimes, we have been called to Choma Mano [radio station in Choma] to express ourselves and say what we want from the government. The media is not really giving us a platform to express ourselves, but they are trying,” he said.
Asked if he felt persons with disabilities were fully included regarding freedom of expression, Muleya said; “Not yet included but there are some changes. There are some promises, as I said earlier, it is the first time to include persons with disability in the CDF committee.
“So, we see some changes that maybe in future things will not be the same as they were before.”
Meanwhile, Muleya emphasised the need for public places, including media entities to consider putting slops for people living with disabilities in their building.
“We find that measurements of the doors, a person using a wheelchair cannot use the toilet, so when people are planning to build structures, we have to be included so that we decide together,” he said.
Muleya’s views show signs of improvement in freedom of expression by the government to ensure that people living with disabilities are included in the decision-making process.
This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.