The Minister-Advisor to the Presidency defends the choice to relocate the April 4 parade to Thiès, seeing it as a symbol of territorial equity and a break with Dakar-centric centralization. An initiative that realizes a twenty-year-old ambition.
DAKAR — The holding of the national holiday parade in Thiès on April 4, 2026, marks a turning point in the organization of this institutional event. Amadou Tidiane Wone, Minister-Advisor to the Presidency, defended this decision during his appearance on the RTS program Point de vue.
For the senior government official, this relocation constitutes “a strong signal of state continuity,” concretizing a desire expressed more than twenty years ago but never implemented.
Thiès, a City Symbolic of National History
The choice of Thiès is not coincidental. The Minister-Advisor emphasizes the symbolic dimension of this city, which he describes as a “city of refusal” and the “capital of the railway,” embodying the idea of putting “our ambitions for progress back on track.”
This historical recognition also addresses a city that has seen the emergence of great figures of the Senegalese state, such as Léopold Sédar Senghor, former mayor of Thiès before becoming the country’s first president.
A Vision of Territorial Development
Beyond the particular case of Thiès, Amadou Tidiane Wone defends a broader vision of territorial equity. He warns against the “macrocephaly of the capital,” which could fuel a sense of marginalization in other regions of the country.
“It is important that the commemoration of our accession to international sovereignty be brought closer to the people wherever they are,” he argued, calling for this dynamic to be sustained over time.
This initiative is part of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s stated desire to promote balanced territorial development and reduce Dakar’s excessive weight in the country’s institutional and economic life.
The question remains whether this experiment will be repeated in the coming years and in which other regions the national parade could be organized.
