The movement against the soaring cost of living in Senegal has moved from online spaces to the streets. On Saturday, September 5, several dozen demonstrators gathered in Dakar for the “March of Empty Baskets,” part of the “30 Days for the Right Price” campaign. The procession started in the Castors neighborhood and ended at the Jet-d’Eau roundabout.
Protesters carried empty baskets, bowls, and kitchen utensils as symbols of the struggles households face in covering daily expenses. Their signs and chants highlighted the rising prices of food, housing, and electricity, particularly the prepaid Woyofal system.
Online campaign turns into street action
The initiative began online just days earlier. Consumers and content creators launched the “30 Days for the Right Price” campaign to denounce the increasing cost of living and demand measures to protect purchasing power.
Before the march, the movement had already gathered over 3,000 supporters online. It also called for a gradual boycott of products considered overpriced. Influencer Bathie Drizzy, one of the co-founders, emphasized that the movement is non-political. “No political figure is behind us,” he stated, explaining that the goal is to draw the authorities’ attention to the population’s difficulties.
Rising prices fuel public anger
The campaign is rooted in concrete issues. For instance, the price of beef has surged from around 4,000 CFA francs per kilogram to as much as 5,500 CFA francs, while mutton has reached 7,000 CFA francs in some markets. These figures come from reports by local media and do not represent official national prices.
The concerns now extend beyond food. Demonstrators also highlighted rents, electricity bills, and other everyday costs. This broadening of demands gives the movement a wider significance than a simple protest against a few products.
Political reactions emerge
The march drew political responses, including from Aldiouma Sow, described by Seneweb as an advisor to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. In a Facebook post, he strongly criticized the mobilization and urged young participants to focus on work, denouncing what he called “populist messianism.”
This reaction is not an official government stance, but it indicates that the movement is prompting responses from within the presidential camp. Meanwhile, the high cost of living continues to dominate Senegal’s press review this Monday, September 7, showing that the issue extends beyond the weekend’s events.
Movement plans to persist
The organizers do not view the march as a one-off event. Following the gathering, the “30 Days for the Right Price” collective praised the turnout and announced further actions. The key question now is whether this campaign can sustain momentum in public discourse and elicit concrete responses from the authorities.
The government has recently prioritized purchasing power, prices, and rents. At the Council of Ministers on September 2, it was decided to strengthen price control mechanisms and speed up rent regulation. The “empty baskets” protest thus occurs as street pressure and government announcements converge on the same issue: the daily household budget of Senegalese families.
A protest to watch
So far, the movement is driven mainly by citizens and social media actors. It has not yet evolved into a structured national political movement. However, its potential is significant: the issues of food, housing, electricity, and purchasing power affect a large portion of the population. Unlike typical political controversies, the “empty baskets” question is straightforward: how much does daily life cost for a Senegalese household today, and what can the government realistically do to make it more affordable?