Senegal used to be part of La Belle France, and most of the
historic buildings in Dakar, Senegal’s Capital City of 2.5 Million people, date
back to the Colonial Era. France (De Gaulle) agreed to grant Senegal its
independence in 1960.
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| Abandoned Railway Station of Dakar - built by the French during Colonial times |
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| Seaside Mosque |
This historic event is commemorated by the largest statue in
all of Africa, called the African Renaissance Monument. It rises a couple of
hundred meters above a 250 steps sweeping staircase, and is located just
outside the city centre on a hill beside a beach. On the beach, almost
overshadowed by this gigantic monument, rise the minarets of a large sea side
mosque. The monument is said to be
taller than the Statue of Liberty – impressive!
For a cool 24 million dollars, it was designed and built by
North Koreans, to represent an African family (father, mother, one child) in a
typical communist-art stance
(victoriously pointing skyward) with semi Asiatic features (straight hair i.e.)
and fantasy clothing over impossibly ‘athletic’ physique. The mother, who
weights several hundred tons, is almost naked, which in a country almost 99% of
Islamic Faithful does not go over too well. The father houses offices,
elevators and head level viewing platforms in his massive body. The Baby does
the finger pointing.
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| African Renaissance Monument |
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| Resting at the Base of the Monument |
This befuddling monstrosity does not sit well with Senegalese,
who consider all but African in nature, neither does the waste of dollars
sorely needed for more important problems – like education, health and
infrastructure. In the meantime, Senegalese are divided over the controversial
landmark, but it makes for an interesting tourist stop. At the base of this
family portrait (one of the few families in Africa with only one child) is a
large paved ‘park’ with an auditorium, but now seats. The only locals
frequenting the site seem to be souvenir vendors and a couple of men resting
one of the scarce stone benches. Sheep and goats nibble at garbage strewn
shrubs.
To a visitor new to West Africa, Dakar is almost frightening
in its vastness, its overwhelming crowds of jostling people streaming through
endless sidewalk market stalls, dodging traffic and numerous wheelchair bound
people (Dakar had a Polio epidemic a few decades ago), and confronting
thousands of semi-finished buildings which seem to be abandoned as soon as the
first concrete blocks are put together. These housing developments (if that is
what they are) appear uninhabited; however, thousands of tin shacks, supplemented
with tarps and corrugated fibreglass sheeting, serve as housing for numberless
people. One sleeps, cooks, eats and procreates in these hovels, whose prevalent
landscaping consists of mountains of plastic bag garbage.
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| Butcher Shop |
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| Awaiting another Load |
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| 'Chinese Market' in Dakar |
It is said, that garbage reducing actions are under
consideration. These ideas are less driven by environmental or health concerns,
not even by purely esthetic reasons, but mostly because cattle, sheep and goats
eat anything that smells faintly of food or other organics, and plastic bags qualify
on those counts. Predictably, the animals die from indigestion – not good, in a
country where small animal husbandry lots supports a much needed food supply.
On the other hand – one does not see an overabundance of stray dogs – probably caused
by the same garbage bag consumption.
If one looks beyond, there are exclusive enclaves of expansive
and landscape adorned mansions for who knows who, many hidden French influenced
restaurants, beach front resorts for tourists, residential areas with elaborate
shopping malls complete with guards and razor wire fences etc. etc…
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| Ingredients for Sand Paintings |
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| Sand Painting |
Fishing is the largest component of the local economy, and
tourism is second in line. Handicraft production is wide spread; working as an
artisan guarantees tax free status. African masks are manufactured by
woodworkers and welders, armies of tailors between 10 and 100 years old sew
caftans of every African Kente cloth imaginable, beadwork, baskets, sand
painting all make their way into handicraft markets. Bargaining is de rigueur,
and good buys can be had without offending the sellers with too low of a
counter offer.
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| Street side mask manufacturer |
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| Fishing Boats dedicated Allaah |
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| Decorations on bow of fishing boats |
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| Woodworker |
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| Iconic gigantic Baobab Tree |
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| Presidential Guard |
