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68 Sawubona March 2015 A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Whether it’s the city’s history, the compassion of its people or its natural surroundings, B boubou boubou DAKAR BY DAY IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CITY FROM THE ONE IT IS AFTER DARK, WHEN THERE’S AN ALMOST COMPLETE INVERSION OF ITSELF. Clockwise, from this image: The coastline offers some great surfing spots. The city and its port come alive at sunset. A tropical sunrise. The fishing village of Soumbedioune. Children play on Ngor beach.

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http://www.flysaa.com/ | Dakar is a city full of adventure and surprise. Immerse yourself in the eccentric cultures of the area, guzzle mouth-watering traditional Senegalese delicacies, and soak up the beauty of the beaches. Book flights to Dakar with SA Airways today.

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68 Sawubona March 2015

A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Whether it’s the city’s history, the compassion of its people or its natural surroundings,

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DAKAR BY DAY IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CITY FROM THE ONE IT IS AFTER DARK, WHEN THERE’S AN ALMOST COMPLETE INVERSION OF ITSELF.

Clockwise, from this image: The coastline offers some great surfing spots. The city

and its port come alive at sunset. A tropical sunrise. The fishing village of Soumbedioune.

Children play on Ngor beach.

senegal

March 2015 Sawubona 69

IN DAKARsomething 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 � �����$!�������� ������������� �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. = ����� ����� ���������!����� � �����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 shouldn’t be here. They grow as if they’re 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 ��������������������!���������� ���� ����=������� ������������ ������!���������������������� ����� �������� ������������������������"!��=���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 ��� ������!�� ������������������� �dark, when there’s an almost complete inversion of itself – as though the ������� ���������������������negative of the day. In the sunlight, ��� ������������������������ ����� �����that line Rue de l’Aeroport, a major artery book-ended by Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport and the main port, where one can catch

senegal

70 Sawubona March 2015

DINING Tucked away in a quiet corner of the old fishing area of Ouakam, Mama Gastro’s 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 food’s good and almost unbelievably affordable. Cité Comico, Villa 118, OuakamBEACHES Located minutes away from the airport, Dakar’s 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 surfing lesson. It’s easy to understand why Dakar’s such a drawcard for pleasure-seekers. From the mainland, you can catch a canoe to Ngor Island, or – if you’re feeling fit – even swim across. The beaches are rocky, so be careful when wading through the water.ÎLE DE GORÉE A short ferry-ride from the main port lies the historically significant island of Gorée. It’s changed very little since its slave-trading days and the population of just under 2 000 work mainly as keepers of that period’s 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.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, it’s 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 figures in this primarily Muslim country. It’s 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 surfing.

DOING DAKAR

a ferry to Île de Gorée (Gorée Island), the Unesco World Heritage Site that features the House of Slaves. Tourists lie on the various beaches tanning or ��"���� ������������������ ��=��!������at exclusive boutiques and have their �����������!����������� ����������women. At sunset, restaurants and �������������������� ����� ��!������for business. Kitchens with no obvious signage and vendors under umbrellas ��"����!�����������������!��������Thiébodiènne and Café Touba.

On every wall, there’s an image of Amadou Bamba or, occasionally, Ibra ��������������$�� ���2%���$����3����������������!����� ��������������2��� �������� ������� "��������� ������� ���3��� ������� ������������������� ����������� �������usual Islamic rituals of fasting and � �!� ������������������������manual labour. He used this to form a sub-sect of Mouridism called Baye Fall. Literally meaning “those who belong

�������_������������������ ����workers and soldiers of Allah. They’re �<�������������������� ������������ ����������� "� ������� ���� �������������!������������ ������"��covered by headscarves. In Dakar ���!�����������������=���������!��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 Gorée Island.

Above: The Soumbedioune

Market sells handmade African

wooden masks and statues.

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