YOG Dakar 2026: Kalama, when words become an Olympic discipline
The final of the Kalama competition took place this Thursday, September 5 at the Daniel Sorano national theater. At the end of the evening, Sandrine Zohou, 28 years old, Togolese, residing in France, distinguished herself by winning the gold medal.
The final proposed by the French development agency (AFD) and Eloquentia had the theme “speech, an Olympic discipline”. The “Speech, Olympic discipline” project aims to train 10 young people to carry the message of international solidarity.
The Youth Olympic Games are not only a sporting event, it is also a unique space of expression where the youth of Senegal and France come together to uphold the values of international solidarity. This is what AFD and Eloquentia understood. Behind this evening hides a long selection. There were 100 of them on the starting line. 50 reached the semi-final stage. Finally, only 10 of them took the stage at the Sorano theater.
The competition was structured around 5 intense duels operating on the principle of “FOR” or “AGAINST”. The participants had to cross swords on hard-hitting subjects anchored in sporting and societal news over a time between 5 and 7:30 minutes: Is sport apolitical? False start? Have the rings lost their values? ? Do we have to overcome all the obstacles? Does commitment mean carrying a weight?
At the end of a tough battle of eloquence Sandrine Zohou, 28 years old, Togolese, residing in France who was “for”, “false start” distinguished herself by winning the gold medal.
Also read: Kalama speech competition: Irène Mendy, Senegalese finalist, will carry the Olympic word in Dakar
She is followed by the Senegalese Youssoupha Gueye, Alice Perdriel Vaissière, the youngest (18 years old) in this final, occupies third place. Irene Mendy, a journalism student and one of the candidates from Senegal, was unable to make the podium but still won an Olympic medal and left with an enriching experience.
These finalists represent a bridge between cultures: they are 5 young people living in France and 5 young people living in Senegal, aged 18 to 28 years old. Not knowing each other until a few months ago, they trained like athletes to carry their voice together. Their efforts aimed at one goal: to convince.
For Stéphanie Beney, project manager, partnership with civil society organizations at AFD: “AFD is particularly committed to Senegal in the framework of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.
This commitment is part of broader cooperation between France and Senegal, supported in particular by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Embassy in Senegal. AFD also supports citizenship education initiatives and this is very important for us to enable young people to better understand the world and get involved in it. »
For her part, Laurane Bourgoint, Managing Director of Eloquentia, affirms that these 10 finalists are not only “winners of a competition, they are now ambassadors, youth ambassadors to be able to get involved, who have things to say and who understand their place in major world meetings. And I believe that ultimately, this is our greatest success. »
Fatou NGOM
