Military Takeover in West Africa: The Enigma of Popular Euphoria

International observers have expressed astonishment at the scenes of popular euphoria following the advent of the military in power since 2020 in some West African countries. These euphoric expressions are variously assessed: anti-French sentiment, threat to democracy, support for authoritarian regimes, Russian influence, etc. This paper analyzes the popular euphoria of Conakry's inhabitants following the arrest of President Alpha Condé by the Groupement des forces spéciales and the seizure of power by the Comité national du rassemblement pour le développement (CNRD) on September 05, 2021 in Guinea. Based on the principle of situated knowledge, the paper supports the argument that euphoria is the expression of an attitude of “insignificance” given the spectacular nature of the regime change. A citizen of Conakry ironically sums up this state of affairs: “In our country, you go to bed on Saturday night with a president. And you wake up on Sunday morning with a new president”. This paper draws on an ethnography of information nodes carried out in Conakry in September 2021 and March 2022 to (i) describe and characterize the insignificance of the widespread euphoria of September 05, 2021; (ii) contextualize, historicize, and analyze the logics underlying popular euphoria; (iii) interpret the limits and ambiguities of this insignificance.