<div>On October 4th, a 23-person delegation from Senegal embarked on a five-day journey to attend the FIPAN* Festival, which took place in the capital of Burkina Faso: Ouagadougou.
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<div>On the first day, their bus caught fire while they were inside, having to jump out the windows to save their lives. The bus was completely destroyed, along with nearly all their personal belongings. Despite this traumatic experience, the delegation chose to continue their journey to participate in the festival in Burkina Faso. They not only reached the festival but participated with such high spirit, embodying incredible resilience and solidarity, that most of the other participants didn’t even know what had happened to them!
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<div>Now, they are home and must face the material and personal consequences of the fire. We, their comrades from the Diaspora, are launching this campaign to provide concrete support.
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<div><strong>The Incident and Its Impact:</strong>
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<li>5 comrades sustained injuries from the fire and required hospital treatment.
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<li>Administrative Nightmare: 9 comrades lost their passports and national ID cards. The cost and bureaucratic struggle to replace these essential documents is a significant burden.
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<li>Essential Tools Gone: Laptops, phones, audiovisual equipment, hard drives—vital tools for work, study, and communication—were turned to ash.
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<li>Everything Lost: For at least three comrades—Amadou Diang Baïlo Diallo, Pape Oumar Tamba, and Issakha Diagne—the fire took everything except the clothes on their backs. More than 13 others lost most of their personal belongings.
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<div><strong>Response: A Testament to Resilience</strong>
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<div>The situation is stark, but our comrades’ response speaks volumes. Driven by an unbreakable collective spirit, instead of turning back, they persevered. At the festival, they were a source of energy, always invested in creating a positive atmosphere for all. Their focus remained on community and solidarity, not on their own misfortune.
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<div><strong>Our Goal: Practical Solidarity</strong>
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<div>Now it is our turn to show the same solidarity. The funds raised will be used to directly address the documented losses:
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<li>Replace essential administrative documents (passports and national ID cards).
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<li>Contribute to replacing critical equipment like laptops and phones.
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<li>Provide financial support for basic necessities, especially for those who lost all their personal belongings.
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<div>This campaign is a practical effort to help our comrades recover from a severe material blow. Because we are spread out globally, this campaign will be launched in Belgium, the US, South Africa and France.
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<div>Every contribution, no matter the size, addresses the material needs of our comrades and is highly appreciated. Please donate what you can and share this campaign widely.
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<div>Let’s help them rebuild what was lost.
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<div><strong>Thank you for your solidarity.</strong>
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<div>*FIPAN, or the Pan-African International Festival of Nguekhokh, is an internationally recognized Pan-African convening that brings together thought leaders, grassroots organizers, artists, and innovators to to strengthen cohesion, amplify community-based solutions and and promote African sovereignty across the continent and it’s diaspora.
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<div>The Alliance of Sahelian States, the heart of this dynamic, hosted the 10th edition of FIPAN from October 1 to 20, 2025 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
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Kabir Lambo

Aaliyah Peterson

Amina Morgan

Jenario Johnson

Helena Perez

ErrDaisha Floyd

Garrett Rolle

JAHMARRA GARCIA

Anonymous

Nicolas Villarosa

fauna flora

Grace Li

Lorena Heil

Alexander Leipold

Zizwe Tchiguka

Arrielle Nicholls

fatimah warner

Miriam Afani

Thomas Pfeiffer

Budd Brown

Stand in Solidarity with the Senegalese FIPAN Delegation

Stand in Solidarity with the Senegalese FIPAN Delegation

Still $3,949 to go. Help us build momentum.