Dakar, Senegal is the New Black

The largest statue in Africa - African Renaissance Monument - 49 meters broze

Dakar is a city that is shedding it's skin and growing a new look.  The pace, noise, and traffic doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon, but this city of nearly three million feels like it’s on the verge of becoming a mega city in the very near future.  Like many developing countries, the internal migration is happening at hyper speed.  Seems like everyone and their momma is trying to move here.  And why not?  It’s booming with opportunity, and not just for the rural Senegalese looking to get a piece of the action but also the expats and Senegalese who made some money abroad and are looking to invest back in their homeland. 

An awesome view of the Mosque of the Divinity from the Corniche

arriving to Dakar

Dakar was my base while traveling the rest of the country for the two weeks I was here in this small  central coastal country.  It’s cheaper to fly here from many major European cities that have large African communities than it is to fly from neighboring African countries.  Initially, I arrived by plane and was whisked away by my good friend Fatou and her driver.  I was expecting a constant hassle of touts but to my surprise nobody really gave me any mind.  Ninety percent of the people on my plane from Barcelona were Senegalese returning home for Eid with caravans of goods from Europe, which were likely be shared with family and friends.

I loved how this woman in business suit, took out her traditional baby wrap from her bag and flung her child in it like WHAT!  I'M HOME

ALMADIES – THE PLACE TO BE IN DAKAR

Almadies main drag - looking to the African Renaissance Monument

The city is sprawling and new developments are constantly transforming the city landscape.  Fatou’s family stays in the hipper part of town called Almadies, a good way from the city center.  This place rapidly developed from a sleepy fishing village on the outskirts of Dakar to a commercial center that caters to the Dakarians and expats with a nice salary.  Fatou’s family has a house here and the neighborhood is experiencing a Chinese sized construction boom.  Magnificent sized house all down the block.  Personal guards linger outside all day and night.  Just five minutes’ walk and you are on the main strip.  It’s busy all hours of the day with many western style restaurants: Lebanese hookah bar, Spanish tapas, pizzeria, steakhouses, Chinese, Italian, seafood, tacos, and diners, gelato, cafes. 

Lebanese Hookah Bar

Western style diner

Chinese restaurant

painting the town red

The expat community is concentrated in Almadies with a sizable French community, you will find Western style shopping malls and supermarkets with all the luxuries back in Europe.  Despite being a Muslim majority nation, the Dakarians are mostly secular and enjoy a good nightlife.  I had no problem finding a trendy bar during the week or a nice dance club to to bust a move. Whether it be Salsa, electronic, or the local music scene, there was plenty of places to feel at home.  Senegalese enjoy a good range of music.  It’s roots are rich in traditional the West African sound but often fused with Afro Cuban, Hip Hop, and even Salsa.

one thing I noticed was the unusual number of couples where the man was Senegalese and the women were French.  I'm just saying, the women tended to be a bit older and the men younger and really attractive.  Reminded me of older Western men hooking up with younger Asian women in Thailand.

The big clubs had a really diverse scene 

Like I said, the French women were aggressive with the locals

THE CORNICHE, CHINESE TOWN, AND SHOPPING SENEGALESE TEXTILES

Strangely, a lot of the wall art along the Corniche was Americans

The corniche is popular with the locals.  A long boardwalk stretching from Almadies to downtown Dakar. Mostly, young Senegalese men working out like they’re training for a triathlon. The Chinese government gifted the city hundreds of metallic workout machines that stretch along the promenade.  Again, the Chinese are investing in Africa in many ways.  It's quite common to see Chinese businessmen and their families in the city.  Matter fact, there is a shopping district known for it's high concentration of Chinese working and living here.  Chinese made goods are sold from storefronts where Senegalese can get almost anything they need.  Often times the Chinese family that operates the shop lives in the back.  We all know Chinese goods are cheaply made but the sheer volume of merchandise and the fact it’s affordable has contributed greatly to rise of Senegal’s middle class and the prosperity of the some two thousand Chinese living in Dakar.  Many Senegalese buy in bulk and sell these goods throughout the city and take a small commission.  This is an example of China’s rise on the global stage.  I’ve always been impressed by the Chinese merchant and their willingness to do business almost anywhere.  In the first decade of the 2000s, a number of Chinese were victims of violent crime in the city and staged a protest by shutting down their shops for the slow investigation by police.  A number of Senegalese joined the protest in solidarity.  It's not about race or nationality, but progress.  I've heard this kind of solidarity before from of a Chinese traveler who visited me on his way back to Chin and was robbed in Kenya a few months prior.  The thief was attacked by the local Kenyans.  Many Africans realize that one bad apple can spoil the good relations and future investments by China in Africa if Chinese who are willing to create business are victimized.  

The places of business of the Chinese are known as House Shops because they tend to have the store front in the front and live in the back.  

Unofficial census says about two-thousand Chinese live in Dakar, concentrated along Dakar's Boulevard du Centenaire, which has become the unofficial Chinatown.  There presence has changed the commercial center from downtown eastward to Dakar's Boulevard du Centenaire.

Many Senegalese work with for the Chinese merchants.  Others buy wholesale and sell for a small profit. 

A Senegalese man prays on a makeshift prayer mat outside the Chinese houseshop he works

My friend Fatou had got in on the import/ export business years ago, but solely African made goods, mostly textiles and jewelry.  I wanted to follow her while she visited a few Senegalese textile dealers.  Dakar has bustling districts exclusively for African cloths, traditional dresses and Keyfas.  Rich colors and brilliantly patterned, I had to get a few custom fit for myself.  Also picked up a few wonderfully beautiful and large rolls of cloth to use as beach blankets when I’m back in Florida.

NGOR ISLAND

We only spent a few days in Dakar each time we visited.  It was a nice place to relax and enjoy some of the comforts of home.  Good wifi, western style restaurants, a bar or club to have a drink or  just people watch.  Since it was summer, many people were in vacation mode, going to the beach to enjoy the surf and sand.  The last place we checked out was the island of Ngor, which is about a twenty-minute ferry ride from Almadies.  Super crowded this time of year, but still, a must do for anyone visiting the city for the first time.  It’s known for its day trippers who want to get out of the concrete jungle.  A rocky outcrop with lots of beachside cafes and restaurants.  Recently, it’s become popular for its surfing culture.  Actually, its one of the most popular surf spots in Africa outside of South Africa.  There is a surf camp where both Senegalese and Europeans who come herevto surf.  A hostel style camp with up to twenty surfers staying here for weeks at a time to ride the consistently good waves just off jagged black cliffs hundreds of feet below.

panoramic of the breaks of the coast of Ngor Island 

Ngor Island boosts a surfcamp

view from the roof of the surfcamp

another view from Ngor Island toward Dakar

Noah's Ark House

beach from Ngor Island

All and all, Dakar was good to me, and a place that has a lot of promise.  Matter fact, the dangerous Africa that the West grew to know through the media is no more.  Unfortunately, the pace in which the rest of the world uncovers the truth can take unusually long.  But for the Senegalese who live here and the expats abroad, they realized this years ago and are taking advantage of Senegal's untapped potential.

untapped energy on the dance floor in Dakar