Talk to Al Jazeera

Rokhaya Diallo is a French activist, feminist, filmmaker and writer. A long-time anti-racism campaigner, she has found herself at the centre of a debate about racism and free speech in France. Last year, she was forced to step down from the government's Digital Council - an incident that only served to reinforce her belief that France has a problem with state-sponsored racism. 'The government was asked by people who disagree with my views to evict me from the council,' Diallo says. 'The fact that I was tackling racism, state-sponsored racism, that I was supporting Muslim women who wanted to wear the hijab..., basically it was those views and the way I frame my views on racism in France [which led to the removal].' Diallo has been very vocal about police profiling and the fact that not all French citizens are treated equally by the state. 'The state doesn't even deny the fact that the police is over-controlling black people and Arab people and Muslim men. So to me that means there is nothing that is done to prevent that.... France isn't doing anything to protect its citizens of colour from police brutality and police profiling,' she says. 'When I say there is racism from the French institutions, I am not saying that all the French people are racist, I am just saying that the state should implement measures to stop that.' Despite her dismissal from the Digital Council, Diallo still believes French President Emmanuel Macron could affect positive change in the country. 'I think that he does have a more inclusive vision of France because he belongs to a different generation, compared to the former presidents, so the way he sees France is actually very different because he is used to see[ing] France with a more diverse face,' Diallo says. As a Muslim and the daughter of Senegalese and Gambian parents, Diallo says that her prominence as an activist and journalist, frequently featured on French television, has been an exc

One year ago Martin Fayulu was barely known beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital Kinshasa - until the 62-year-old was nominated as the presidential candidate of a coalition called Lamuka. The opposition candidate is supported by two political heavyweights: former DRC Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, who has been barred from standing in the long-delayed election, and self-exiled ex-provincial governor Moise Katumbi, who says he was prevented from returning to Kinshasa to submit his candidacy. Fayulu's campaigns have been marred by violence with security forces using teargas and live ammunition to disrupt his political rallies and stop him from accessing some parts of the country. Some opinion polls say he is the biggest threat to President Joseph Kabila's preferred candidate, ex-Minister of the Interior Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary. But can he win the election 'People of Congo are asking for the truth and justice,' Fayulu told Al Jazeera who said that the long delayed December 30 elections were 'deliberately disorganised'. 'I cannot see how Mr Shadary can win. I doubt anyone will have the courage to proclaim Shadary as the winner. It will be a provocation ... Please no provocation ... They tried any other strategy ... The country has lost time to develop itself. And today we are ready. This is the new era. The era of dignity of Congolese and prosperity of Congolese,' said Fayulu. 'If I am elected there will not be revenge. But we'll sanitise the country. We'll have that rule: Zero tolerance for corruption.' With election results still pending, the DRC opposition's presidential candidate Martin Fayulu spoke to Al Jazeera about the elections, DRC corruption and the future of his country post-Kabila.