Formal opening of the Internship Conference - Mr. Khadim Cissé: A champion of eloquence dismantles the myth of "I speak, therefore I can"

During the official opening ceremony of the Conference of the Internship, Master Khadim Cissé, first secretary of the conference, captivated his audience with a brilliant and provocative speech on the theme "I speak therefore I can".

In a speech imbued with eloquence and philosophical depth, the speaker immediately emphasized that speech is trivialized today by people who only spout "nonsense." In his view, speech cannot be self-sufficient.

"Just because we speak doesn't mean we can," he insists, challenging a simplistic view of the power of words.

Based on a reflection inspired by Descartes' famous "Cogito ergo sum", Mr. Cissé considers that the author of this phrase - "I speak therefore I can" - was inspired by Descartes.

According to him, words only have value when spoken by people capable of giving them meaning, substance, and responsibility. He reminds us that, in traditional African societies, speech was a sacred attribute, held by legitimate figures such as griots, guardians of knowledge and collective memory.

In a critical outburst, he denounces an era marked by the trivialization of speech, where "those who make the most noise" end up dominating the public sphere, to the detriment of the quality and relevance of discourse. He likens this situation to a form of democratic decline, evoking the analyses of Alexis de Tocqueville.

To illustrate his point, the lawyer shared an anecdote recounting how some colleagues, carried away by the confidence that comes with speaking out, had proclaimed their intention to take a second wife, before changing their minds when faced with reality. This, he argued, demonstrated the gap between words and actions.

Beyond the humor, Mr. Cissé raises questions about contemporary excesses, particularly in the age of social media where words are now measured by their virality rather than their relevance. "Everyone talks, but no one listens anymore," he laments.

Master Khadim Cissé calls for a rehabilitation of silence as a necessary counterweight to verbal inflation: "Faced with the power of words, God created silence."

During his rhetorically charged speech, Mr. Cissé entertained the audience. Combining business with pleasure, the first secretary of the graduating class, Mr. Guédel Ndiaye, undoubtedly left his mark on this formal opening ceremony with a call to restore to speech its full nobility and responsibility.

As a reminder, Maitre Khadim Cissé was the winner of the Soirée des éloquences francophones du barre des Hauts-de-Seine en France in 2022 and a finalist in the Mario Stasi Competition of the Paris bar in 2024. He is known for his love of literature, culture and rhetoric.