On 15 October 2014, a new transnational collective, Tournons La Page, launched an appeal: ‘In Africa as elsewhere, no democracy without alternation’. The handful of activists behind this platform had no idea that, ten years later, their international campaign calling for the denunciation of institutional coups d'état and support for democratic changeovers would have grown into a powerful organisation bringing together hundreds of associations and thousands of activists in fifteen African countries and Europe, representing a recognised force for protest and proposals on the continent. Today, Tournons La Page (TLP) is a coalition that African heads of state and international diplomats must reckon with. At a time when, in the new global disorder, the democratic model is in decline - in Africa even more than in the rest of the world - when, in several countries on the continent, the political elites are going through a crisis of legitimacy, and the traditional checks and balances have been cut off from part of the population, the TLP watchdogs have invented a new form of activism.

Able to mobilise on the ground as well as on social networks, to defend their cause in chancelleries as well as in the most remote villages, they are a reminder that democracy is a daily struggle. TLP is also the unique story of a form of North-South cooperation in which the African members of the coalition gradually took matters into their own hands, transforming the movement and shaping it in their own image. This evolution was not without its upheavals. In this sense, the Tournons La Page story is, on its own scale, a unique democratic experiment. This book tells the story of this unprecedented experiment, giving a voice to the men and women who led it, tracing their journey and the debates that ran through this militant collective. This book sheds a new light on the tumultuous march of the African continent over the last ten years, from the insurrection in Burkina Faso to the coups d'état in Niger and Gabon.

Membership criteria

To create a coalition, interested organisations or individuals must come together to share their motivations for joining TLP. Applicants must then send a formal application by e-mail to [email protected], using the membership form completed by each organisation wishing to join the coalition. If the application is approved by the Board of Directors, applicants will be asked to set up a provisional office to handle day-to-day business and act as an interface between the International Secretariat and the new coalition.

They will therefore choose a coordinator and a secretary, as well as a communications officer. TLP insists on parity in leadership positions within coalitions. This office will operate for a minimum period of six months during which, in close collaboration with the International Secretariat, it will draw up its organic texts (statutes, internal regulations, procedures manual, organisation chart, etc.). At the end of this probationary period, the Director and/or President of TLP International will officially install the new co-ordinating team, after validation by the Board.

Each coalition is autonomous in implementing its actions and defining its strategy. They are led by coordinators, elected for a 3-year term, renewable once. Every three years, the international General Assembly (GA) is held, bringing together the members of the Board of Directors, the Ethics Committee, representatives of each coalition, representatives of sponsors approved as active members, as well as invited personalities and partners. It is the sovereign body of the TLP at international level and elects the members of the Board, the Executive Committee and the Commissions.

The Board is made up of two representatives from each Coalition, two or three personalities elected by the AGM, and one or two representatives of the sponsors. Its role is to define the direction of the movement, as guarantor of its vision, values, principles and objectives. The Bureau, the executive body of Tournons La Page (TLP), is made up of a president, a vice-president and a treasurer. The movement and its governing bodies are supported in their mission by the International Secretariat, whose role is to lead and represent the movement, protect members and support national coalitions in their activities.