Benign : Silence of the great voices of yesterday

Many of them are verbose yesterday. Today, do they have their mouths closed ? They don’t even speak out on current facts or issues anymore. January Yahouedeou, Joseph Djogbénou etc.. Where have these great voices gone that made democracy shine in Benin and in Africa? ?

“…History is the river that irrigates myths and the compost that fertilizes memories ; a people that loses its memories is an amblyopic people and a people that does not know its history is a blind people that ends up making it stutter with the same errors”. A thought from Janvier Yahouédéou, Excerpt from his book “Twilight of a Dictator” from appeared in 2003, So there is 20 years.

This extract that the columnist read on a forum inspired him to wonder about the silence of the great voices that made the voiceless vibrate. Before talking about others, the first case on which the columnist documented is that of Janvier Yahouédéou. His cries for the defense of the people and criticism of bad governance started on a radio station, “Radio Planète” which he created in 1999, with famous awareness-raising programs such as “Bébètes infos”, Kohami, etc. But he kept himself quiet.

Exit from anonymity 2002

Like a volcanic eruption, the name Janvier Yahouédéou exploded in 2002 with the publication of an incendiary book : "The true colors of the chameleon". For the first time in Africa, a bold man took up his pen to violently "stab" a regime still in place and which he fought relentlessly. With the success known by the provocative work which had sufficiently hit the headlines, other books or volumes have been published to drive the point home : "Twilight of a Dictator", " Emergency state ". The dinosaurs of the revolution who were reconverted in the democratic renewal received the books of Janvier Yahouédéou like hammer blows on the head.

From civil society to politics

After the departure of the system that he strangled, the man will be called upon to put his ideas at the service of politics. Thanks to its many social works in its region, he was easily elected Member of Parliament in 2007 and re-elected several times despite the crocs-en-jambe.

Habit being second nature, and despite his adherence to a movement in power, he had no restraint in talking about scandals with regular interpellations of the government by oral questions for explanations in parliament. Three (03) major issues opposed Janvier Yahouédéou to the government of President Boni Yayi. Although a member of the then movement, he did not have his tongue in his pocket to denounce scandals like the “Cen-Sad” affairs, "Agricultural equipment", and the great revealer of the underside of the "Icc-Services" affair.

In 2012, January Yahouédéou has started a new fight. That of the fight against third terms. It is Janvier Yahouédéou who is the author of the campaign "Do not touch my Constitution" with the display on giant panels of posters with a little girl in tears. Posters destroyed by no one knows who, 48h after display. Janvier Yahouédéou reposted them. In 2013, repeat of this campaign, but this time, with a crying old man, arms over head.

What surprises, it is this patriotic commitment of this man who is more of a technician. Doctor in Artificial Intelligence, IT engineer, Janvier Yahouédéou is the author of several technical books, became bestsellers, curricula in European universities and which continue to be on sale in bookshops and online since their publication more than 30 years. “C and Turbo C – Data Structures”, “Artificial Intelligence and Databases”, “C Programming Techniques – Serial Communications”, “Network Communications”.

This prestigious route mixed with bravery deserved a chronicle of interrogation on the silence of Janvier Yahouédéou. However, history will have remembered that "once upon a time", a man named Janvier Yahouédéou, a compatriot who, after titillating General Mathieu Kérékou, also gave Doctor Boni Yayi insomnia.

He is one of the few politicians to have taken too many risks in the name of the fight against corruption. Sworn enemy of the "let's eat club" who must naturally have grievances against him, he knew how to leave in the pages of history, indelible traces of a defender of the people. When we make a partial assessment of the twenty (20) years of struggle waged at the cost of his life and his heritage, should we not conclude that the man embodies a model of patriotism for the youth ?

His YouTube channel and his website www.yahouedeou.com from which the columnist drew this information are mines of information (on the scandals in Benin) that I have discovered and which challenge. Why this silence of Janvier Yahouédéou since 2016 ? Friendship with the new head of state ? Is there nothing more to say about governance ? What are the reasons for his sad ejection from the system of rupture ? Account settlements of the consequences of his previous fights ? 

The Voiceless still need the voice of Janvier Yahouédéou

The other case of astonishment remains master Joseph Djogbénou who was one of the great figures of the movement “red wednesday”. Today, the man wears another coat. Is it because there is no longer a fight to be fought that the subversives of yesterday have suddenly become submissive and docile people? ?

Médice AGBEHOUNKO (Coll)