The interview below was conducted by Amon Rémy Mallet, a Dakar-based blogger, and initially published on his website “Bienvenue dans le Ndakarou” (Welcome to Ndakarou). It is republished on Global Voices with his permission. Senegalese philosopher Souleymane Bachir Diagne was nominated as one of the 50 most influential people of Africa by magazine Jeune Afrique in 2014. On May 16, Diagne, a professor at Columbia University, was a keynote speaker at a conference on the topic of “philosophical grammar” and the challenges of translation in Bonn. We caught up with him there and spoke about the tragedy of migrants and the future of higher education in Senegal. Amon Rémy Mallet (ARM): For some time now, there has been a resurgence of boats carrying African migrants landing on European shores. What do you make of this situation? Souleymane Bachir Diagne (SBD): Cela fait très mal. On s’intéresse très souvent aux chiffres dans cette situation, c’est-à-dire au nombre de personnes qui périssent. Mais derrière ces chiffres, il y a des vies individuelles. Ce sont des personnes qui au moment de partir ont demandé la bénédiction de leurs mères. Et quand je l’aborde ainsi, je me dis que ceux sont des familles qui ont perdu des personnes en qui elles avaient placé leurs espoirs. Après avoir dit cela, il revient de regarder la situation dans toute sa complexité pour trouver des solutions. Il faudrait que nos jeunes se sentent dans un continent en chantier. Un continent dans lequel il y a tout à faire. Si la jeunesse de l’Afrique en vient à penser que son avenir est ailleurs, le problème devient insoluble. Aujourd’hui, on est en train de dire que l’Afrique décolle avec de forts taux de croissance. Mais ces taux de croissance malheureusement ne viennent pas chercher les pauvres. Donc, il y a de la pauvreté et du désespoir. Souleymane Bachir Diagne (SBD): It hurts, it hurts terribly. We tend to over-focus on statistics in such cases, namely on the numbers of deaths. Nevertheless, behind the statistics are individual life stories. These are young men who, before departing, have asked for their mothers’ blessings. When seen in this way, I feel for these families who have lost the person in which they've invested their hope for the future. Having said that, it behooves us to consider the situation in all its complexity in order to find the right solutions. Our young people should feel that Africa is a continent where projects can be constructed. A continent where there is everything left to do. If the youth of Africa end up feeling that their future lies ahead elsewhere, this migration issue becomes insolvable. Nowadays, we find ourselves saying that Africa's growth rate is strong. Alas, this growth does not trickle down to the poor. Consequently, there is still plenty of poverty and despair. A migrant rests near tourists on the beach of Tuineje, on the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, via No Border on Flickr CC-BY-20 ARM: Many of those who take to the sea, endangering their lives, have fled conflicts and political instability from their countries. How do you interpret that despite the political stability in Senegal, young people continue to take such risks? SBD: C’est l’idée selon laquelle l’avenir serait ailleurs. Il faut donc, pour y remédier, que la question de l’emploi sur laquelle repose l’espoir de la jeunesse soit réglée. Il faut que le monde comprenne qu’il y a un investissement à faire sur un continent qui ne demande plus seulement la charité mais qui veut un véritable partenariat. Et cela a commencé. C’est dommage qu’au moment où les choses tournent dans une meilleure direction que les jeunes connaissent ces tragédies. Il y a donc des actions à mener. Il faut aussi régler la question des trafiquants. Ils doivent être mis hors d’état de nuire. Ce sont de véritables négriers modernes. SBD: It's this idea that the future lies elsewhere. It is therefore necessary to solve the issue of unemployment because it is strongly connected with the hopes of young people. The world needs to understand that there is an investment to be made in a continent that does not ask for charity anymore but is in need of real partnerships. And this idea has already begun to take place. It's such a pity that whilst certain issues improve on the continent, the young ones still experience such tragedies. There are actions to be taken. We must also sort the problem of trafficking. We must ensure that those individuals will no longer be able to carry on with business as usual. They are truly modern day slave traders. Students in Senegal. Public Domain ARM: President of Senegal Macky Sall made the decision to send soldiers to Saudi Arabia.