Guinea
Guinea: West Africa's Water Tower Under Military Rule
Guinea is the water tower of West Africa — the Niger, the Senegal and the Gambia rivers all have their sources here. This country of 13 million inhabitants also holds a third of the world's bauxite reserves, plus iron, gold and diamonds. But this wealth has never benefited the people. Since independence in 1958 — when Sékou Touré said no to De Gaulle — Guinea has lurched from one authoritarian regime to the next. The 2021 coup brought Mamadi Doumbouya to power.
The Resource Curse
Guinea exports billions of dollars' worth of bauxite every year — it feeds aluminium plants worldwide. But Conakry lacks electricity, roads are crumbling, hospitals are empty. Corruption is systemic. The military transition drags on, promises of a return to constitutional order are endlessly postponed. The informal economy sustains the majority.
The Ubuntu Strength: Music and Solidarity
Guinea is a land of music. The Ballet Africain de Guinée, created by Keita Fodéba, dazzled the world. Bembeya Jazz, Mory Kanté (Yéké Yéké), Sekouba Bambino — Guinean Mandinka music is a global treasure. Family and ethnic solidarity remains the bedrock of society. Rice — at the heart of the diet — is always shared communally.
« Mogo tɛ mogo bolo, a bɛ se ka mogo dɛmɛ »
He who is in someone's hand can help someone
— Proverb malinké
Guinea reminds us that water and bauxite are not enough if governance is absent. The water tower is still waiting to quench the thirst of its own people.