A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Whether its the citys history, the compassion of its people or its natural surroundings,

Clockwise, from this image: The coastline

offers some great surng spots. The city
and its port come alive at sunset. A tropical
sunrise. The shing village of Soumbedioune.
Children play on Ngor beach.

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DAKAR BY DAY IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT

CITY FROM THE ONE IT IS AFTER DARK,
WHEN THERES AN ALMOST COMPLETE
INVERSION OF ITSELF.
68 Sawubona March 2015

senegal

IN DAKAR

something about Dakar beckons to Lindokuhle Nkosi and entrenches her in its soul

extra seat had been welded onto the

rusted metal. Parts of it were buckled,
eroded to the point of revealing the
tarmac whizzing under the vehicle in
a ribbon of silver. My knees touched
those of the people sitting opposite
me, my head resting on a bag of
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the seat in front. I slipped a bottle of
cold water in between them, wiggling
for space and watching Dakar whizz
past. Tar underneath, sand outside.
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tangled and intertwined, twisted
limbs of resistance above the ground.
Every now and then, a herd of pygmy
goats picks at the low-lying leaves.
I know the trees shouldnt be
here. They grow as if theyre aware of
this too. They stand far apart, each
to its own, neighbours extending
desperately out of and into the
ground, but never reaching out
to each other. Their tendons and
ligaments are wrapped around
themselves, muscular, bark-covered
arms with a hand on each end. One
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tan-brown sand gives way to a more
dazzling white. A spectrum of reds,
yellows, browns, the desert is where
the colours of earth dance. Striations
of barrenness, fertility, life, lack.
Travelling around West Africa
during Ramadan is a spiritual

experience. Dakar by day is a totally

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dark, when theres an almost complete
inversion of itself as though the
  

negative of the day. In the sunlight,
   
that line Rue de lAeroport, a major
artery book-ended by Lopold Sdar
Senghor International Airport and the
main port, where one can catch
March 2015 Sawubona 69

senegal

DOING DAKAR
DINING Tucked away in a quiet corner

70 Sawubona March 2015

_
 
workers and soldiers of Allah. Theyre
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covered by headscarves. In Dakar
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who study the Koran at daaras (the
West African equivalent of madrasas),
and beg for money to sustain
themselves. In Touba, a city with tiled

  
Dakar and one of the oldest libraries
on the continent, these youngsters are
revered as demi-gods.

Top: Alleys of
Gore Island.
Above: The
Soumbedioune
Market sells
handmade African
wooden masks
and statues.

AFRICAN RENAISSANCE
MONUMENT This strange and
imposing monument built on an incline
in Ouakam is a 49m bronze structure
commissioned by President Abdoulaye
Wade and partly funded by North
Korea. The tallest statue in Africa, its
the embodiment of Stalinist art and has
been surrounded by controversy since its
conception as much for its cost as for
its depiction of semi-nude gures in this
primarily Muslim country. Its also been the
subject of intellectual property disputes.
THE ALMADIES The tip of the
Almadies marks the westernmost point
of Africa. The beautiful cliffs drop
dramatically into the sea, while the waves
below them make ideal surng.

GALLO IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

a ferry to le de Gore (Gore Island),

the Unesco World Heritage Site that
features the House of Slaves. Tourists
lie on the various beaches tanning or
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at exclusive boutiques and have their
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women. At sunset, restaurants and
  
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for business. Kitchens with no obvious
signage and vendors under umbrellas
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Thibodinne and Caf Touba.
On every wall, theres an image of
Amadou Bamba or, occasionally, Ibra

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usual Islamic rituals of fasting and
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manual labour. He used this to form a
sub-sect of Mouridism called Baye Fall.
Literally meaning those who belong

of the old shing area of Ouakam, Mama

Gastros is the coolest kitchen in the city
and one of its best-kept secrets. Mama
Gastro cooks and serves fresh, traditional
Senegalese lunches every day. The foods
good and almost unbelievably affordable.
Cit Comico, Villa 118, Ouakam
BEACHES Located minutes away from
the airport, Dakars most popular beaches
are never crowded. They then continue
along its 5 664km coastline. Ngor, Yoff
and Plage Bel-Air are walking distance
apart and offer a variety of restaurants
serving fresh and affordable seafood,
cocktails and drinks. Vendors selling tasty
snacks walk by frequently and if (as I did)
you arrive at the beach a little unprepared,
you can even get a swimming costume,
sunglasses and an intensive, but fun
surng lesson. Its easy to understand why
Dakars such a drawcard for pleasureseekers. From the mainland, you can catch
a canoe to Ngor Island, or if youre
feeling t even swim across. The beaches
are rocky, so be careful when wading
through the water.
LE DE GORE A short ferry-ride
from the main port lies the historically
signicant island of Gore. Its changed
very little since its slave-trading days and
the population of just under 2 000 work
mainly as keepers of that periods artifacts.
They operate as tour guides and in a
walk lasting just a few hours, you can visit
Maison des Esclaves (the House of Slaves)
and the Door of No Return, the arched
portal leading to the cells and basements
that were the last many hundreds of
thousands of slaves ever saw of their
country of birth.
MEDINA This old area is located in
the southern part of the city. Densely
populated, it was built by the French in
1914 as a ghetto for native Dakarians.
Take the time to peruse the Soumbedioune
Market, where you can buy beautiful
handmade leather items, clothing,
jewellery and crafts. Be prepared to
haggle with merchants over prices.