Senegal

Visited: December 2008

Duration of visit: 10 days

Capital city: Dakar

Population: 12 million (2008)

• Run-down architectural brilliance of St. Luis, protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, where Tabaski Muslim holiday was celebrated in all its splendor.
• Sea is not for swimming but a dump for garbage.
• Cosmopolitan capital Dakar with Ile Gorée – the largest slave-trading center in West Africa.
• Tasting palm wine in the region of Casamanca.
• Deep thoughts by a local friend: “You, white people, need holidays. We, black people, don’t need holidays. We need money!”

Unlike northern poor neighbor Mauritania, Senegal is the most developed country in West Africa, considered the region’s model of democracy, boasting a history of stable government and civilian rule. One of the best places in the world to catch fish, where baobab tree is a national symbol and an integral part of the country’s culture.

From the busiest slave-trading center on the African coast, through colonial era when Portuguese, British, French and Dutch contended for control of strategically located region, the country today is nearly sliced in half by Gambia, offering its transportation hub in the capital Dakar as a Gateway to Africa.

I visited Senegal as a part of West African trip in 2008, together with Morocco, Mauretania, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

The first settlement set up by the French in West Africa, former capital St. Luis, is located in the north of Senegal. My first stop after crossing from Mauretania represents all architectural brilliance of the former colonizers - France. Dilapidated buildings from centuries ago, long torn apart by the ravages of time, with a rusty Eiffel Bridge itself, are surrounded by piles of rubbish, stench, idle-tired locals and French tourists looking for ancient glory.

Historic center of Saint-Louis extends on the island, within the estuary of Senegal river, linked with the land by metallic bridge from the end of 19^th century. Founded in 1659 as the first city in the Western African coast, Saint Louis was named in honor of the king of France Luis XIV. Magnificent mansions and wonderful colonial buildings with wooden balconies must have been a real miracle for travelers after crossing desert landscape or navigating the sea for days. Today, most of the buildings are in decadent conditions. Apart from the bridge, other important places are; a catholic church, Grande Mosque, Faidherbe square, post office and tourist information building.

All in all, St. Luis was a great change from desert sand monotony of Mauretania. Also, my timing was perfect, since I visited St. Luis just in time for Tabaski Muslim holiday. Tabaski honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God's command. In commemoration of this intervention, an animal (usually a sheep) is sacrificed ritually. One third of its meat is consumed by the family offering the sacrifice, while the rest is distributed to the poor and needy. Sweets and gifts are given, and extended family are typically visited and welcomed.

Two-days celebration is a feast that many prepare for throughout the year; they put on new clothes and slaughter a sheep or two. More money, more sheep. Slaughter in the middle of the street can be terribly disgusting or Hitchcockian exciting. Out of respect for nature, sheep's necks are cut right on the sandy alleys.

Unused remains of poor victims are thrown to the shore of nearby river or sea, depending on distance or practicality. The scene after slaughtering is disgusting, with horrible smell and blood all over, but it doesn’t seem to bother anybody.

When asked, why garbage is not thrown in garbage bins in Africa, urinating and pooping is often done on the street, my new local friend Patrick replied that it is part of African culture. So be it!

When the celebration was over and life returned to normal, I had a chance to visit the fish market and informal textile markets on the main streets of the city. Due to a high number of pirogues, that are exclusively dedicated to fishing, I expected a splendid seafood offer with huge amounts and variety of fish.

Maybe I arrived late, but the place reminded more on a dump. Boys were cleaning fishes, women were baking and cooking food on greased grills and old repurposed pots. I would get sick as soon as tasting unattractive meals. My fellow traveler and I decided to buy some fresh sea breams and bake them ourselves in the oven of the hostel's well-equipped kitchen. It turned out to be much more delicious than neglected scraps on the market.

I am used to wander around markets in all continents but the activities on St. Luis streets before Tabaski celebration were at the level of the liveliest markets, I have ever seen. The stalls are lined up next to each other, an incredible crowd of people moving in a slow rhythm. Women are well-groomed, dressed in traditional colorful clothes, covered with scarves, many of them carrying a baby swathed in cloths on their backs.

Plastic bags, leftover food and garbage cover the grounds. In between, there is loud shouting, arguing, and calling everywhere. At first, I was scared and just held tight my camera hoping that no one would steal it out of my hands.

Soon I relaxed, took it out and started taking pictures of what was happening around me. Many laughed at me and apologized for the chaos, but on the other hand, they knew that foreign visitors were amazed by looking for such an experience.

Chaotic, colorful, cosmopolitan and colonial, Dakar with over two million inhabitants extends along the southern part of peninsula of Cap-Vert on the Atlantic. It is a very pleasant place to live in and visit. Extreme importance of Dakar is showed with the largest seaport in Africa and the headquarters of the Central Bank of Western States.

Dakar is one of the most westernized cities in Western Africa. Aerial hub, where you can find an inexpensive ticket for a trip home, if you want a break during West African travelling or a good connection to any of the neighboring countries. It is easy to find a good restaurant, searching works of art or purchase any needed products at many local markets around the city.

At night, Dakar can still be dangerous, so I preferred staying in a hotel, which actually served as a brothel on the ground floor and an inexpensive room rental at the first floor.

The central point of reference is Place de l’Independence, the business and administrative center where main airlines offices and banks have their headquarters. But the beating heart of Dakar is without doubt the Medina, one of the most ancient and most populous areas that has kept its original African character, overlooked by the minaret of the Grand Mosque. Small shops and markets bring bustling life to the district, while houses are built around an internal courtyard, where a baobab or a ceiba are the focus of attention.

Other interesting areas are a busy street of Avenue Pompidou and the Corniche, a long street running beside the sea, where local craft shops are combined with monuments.  Futuristic Third Millennium Door, constructed in 2001 symbolizes the entering of African continent to the new millennium.

Ile Gorée is definitely the number one place to visit in Dakar, when we talk about sightseeing attractions. Located two kilometers off Dakar’s south coast, the island is a UNESCO world heritage site; it was the largest slave-trading center in West Africa between 15^th and 19^th centuries. These days it’s a sanctuary of calm, with a population of around 1,500 people living in pastel-colored houses on tranquil cobbled streets.

There are fantastic views of the island itself and Dakar downtown from the castle, which served as a WWII outpost. House of Slave, Door of no return, some buildings remaining from the 18^th century, a museum and a slave house stand as a harrowing reminder of the brutality, cruelty, and scale of the transatlantic slave trade. Being such an important center for slave trading, Ile Gorée was passed under the rule of Portugal, Dutch, England and France from 13^th to 20^th century, before finally becoming a part of Senegal in 1960.

In the south of Senegal, I stopped in small villages named Joal-Fadiouth and Toubakouta. The first one is located on an island completely covered with shells. Even the cemetery boasts simple shell tombs instead of expensive marble slabs. It reminded me on a standardized system in socialism - all the same, no exceptions. With variety of religions, languages and cultures, there could be one single characteristic that unites most of the people in Africa – poverty.

In general, Senegalese seem quite happy to me. Also, young boy Carlos from Toubakouta. After completing his studies in Dakar, he returned to a small village where he lives without electricity in a simple house. He invited me to ride bicycles along the surrounding paths to observe monkeys and birds. We communicated in Spanish, since my French was poor and his English vocabulary limited.

In the evening we visited the sole owner of the satellite dish and TV in the village, but unfortunately it was not possible to watch the broadcasting of el Clasico - football match Barcelona - Real Madrid. No big deal, I didn’t come that far to watch European football! Interesting conversation with Carlos, while playing simple board game, was much more fun and remarkable.

At the end of a wonderful day in Toubakouta a thoughtful statement of my interlocutor stayed in my head: “You white people need holidays. We black people don’t need holidays. We need money.”

After spending a week in Gambia, I also visited the southernmost part of Senegal - Casamance. A few years ago, this area was extremely dangerous; terrorist attacks to locals are tourists were common. Recently, the situation has stabilized, and Casamance has been appreciated as one of the most beautiful parts of Senegal. I rented a bike to visit some smaller villages around and the local guide introduced me to the way of life and their habits.

In addition to the multitude of natural drinks, the production of palm wine is especially interesting. Mid age and older men climb approximately 15 meters high to the brunches of palm trees. They are secured only with a small belt in a form of strip around the waist. After filling plastic bottles with a liquid from palm trees, they quickly descend and empty the bottles into canisters that were originally used for motor oil. Following observation of the procedure, I was invited to join a collector for tasting.

I closed my eyes, forgot about the cleanliness standards and enjoyed the sweetness of young palm wine. It would be rude to decline an invitation from a local winemaker. Fortunately, there were no consequences for my stomach and I finished the visit of Senegal dizzy.

Despite the fact that many have frightened me with the danger of Dakar and annoying locals, who followed me on every step and strived indefinitely, my experience of Senegal is just the opposite; with a few exceptions, Senegalese are pleasant, talkative and Senegalese women are among the most beautiful women in Africa. When they wear traditional colorful clothes, it doesn't matter if they are old or young. They embody the most brilliant form of women’s beauty, comparable to the feminine beauties of Ethiopia, Cambodia and Colombia.

Ignoring garbage and other inconveniences, Senegal can be a real paradise, especially for men; monogamy is not in fashion, and if you are capable and hardworking, you can somehow raise money to afford more than one wife and consequently a dozen of lovely children.

As a visitor, I had to be careful and pay attention to prices; many times, negotiated hard to get a fair value. Big differences between developed and modern Dakar on one side, and rural, remote areas on the other side. Senegal has a lot of potential for growth and development, as long as internal conflicts are under control and corruption doesn’t grow beyond understandable limits.