Feeling oppressed

Well, Faurre announced that he wants to talk to the opposition and hold free, democratic elections. To the people here, this is old news. Eyadema has pulled this tactic many times in the past: the opposition will boycott the election because it's a foregone conclusion and the military dictatorship will be 're-elected'. The broken record will continue to sound like this: EU will impose sanctions again; the regime will continue to milk Togo's tiny economy and live like fat cats, and the population will suffer worse poverty than before. UNLESS, the international community takes some action for a change and prevents history from repeating itself.

Here's something interesting: because of the war in Ivory Coast, the French already have moved a large portion of their military base to Lome long before Eyadema's death. Given this fact and France's opposition, Faurre would still have had the balls to commit a coup d'etat while the French navy is in town? And, France is denouncing the coup d'etat especially since Chirac is basically Eyadema's bosom buddy? Fourre is just continuing the Eyadema legacy that the French have propped up over the past 38 years, so why is France suddenly giving up their dirt cheap phosphate and coffee? It's all very touching, but I'm not sure who they're trying to fool. Aside from international attention, I wonder what else motivates France's benevolence in this situation.

In the mean time, the regime has cut off Radio France Internationale, accusing them of trying to cause an uprising. The school director who closed the elementary school in response to the "Journee Togo mort" was arrested today. I'm seeing more soldiers walk around than usual, in their green uniforms and machine guns. The morale is low among the people. Everyone wonders what all the talk from the EU, AU, and ECOWAS is really going to amount to. Without protection, the population cannot truly voice their opinion. Arrests and disappearances are too much a reality.

I can feel that people here are frustrated and hopeful at the same time. Frustrated that they don't have the means to fight for themselves and hopeful that the international community will actually do something this time. At the moment, though, frustration is overshadowing hope. Being here, I get a tiny sense of what it feels like to be oppressed. It's feels like you want to scream at the top of your lungs because you're so angry and frustrated, but you have to hold it in. I'm sure the Togolese feel much more, but we might never know because they have to hold it in.

I hear that there are protests in Ottawa in front of the Togolese embassy right now.