Good-to-know tidbits about one of Africa's most happening countries
Senegal is sometimes called the Gateway to Africa because its coastline is the farthest western point on the continent. A direct flight from New York to Senegal’s capital city takes just over eight hours. Photo by Caroline Selfors/Unsplash
Dakar, Senegal’s cosmopolitan capital, is nicknamed the Paris of Africa. This high-tempo city teems with artists and musicians, and high fashion abounds on the streets. If you go, take something cute to wear.
Fatma Thiob Diop, a member of the Heifer Senegal staff, wears dresses like this lovely green lace number every day. She never wears pants!
Senegal officially came under French control in 1895, although French traders and slavers had set up shop along the African coastline hundreds of years before. Senegalese soldiers fought for France in both world wars. Senegal declared independence from France in 1960, but French continues to be Senegal’s official language. English is spoken in heavily touristed areas.
The baobob tree is a national symbol of Senegal and an integral part of the country’s culture. The bark, pulp, leaves and fruit of these giant trees are used for ropes, food, medicine and animal fodder. The trees themselves serve as important meeting places, and the cavities that form inside the massive trunks have traditionally been used as graves for griots, renowned storytellers and poets.
Wolof is the largest ethnic group in Senegal, making up two-fifths of the population, and the Wolof language is the second most common in Senegal, after French. Wolof was historically a socially stratified culture with marriages confined within strict social and family groups. Wolof women are renowned for their intricate hairstyles, gold jewelry and bright, billowing dresses.
Gorée Island, a 20-minute ferry ride from Dakar, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the busiest slave-trading center on the African coast. Visitors today can tour the palatial ruins of the former homes of Portuguese, Dutch, French and English slave traders and the tiny, bleak cells where enslaved people were packed together without fresh air or light while awaiting passage to the Americas.
If the map of Senegal was a man with a mullet looking westward, his mouth would be The Gambia, a sliver of a country that nearly bisects Senegal.
The Fulani people, also called Fula or Fulbe, are spread throughout Western Africa, and about 3 million Fulani people live in Senegal. Traditionally pastoralists, many Fulani in Senegal still live a nomadic lifestyle, traveling with their herds of cattle, sheep and goats to find water and grazing land.
While more than 90 percent of Senegalese people practice Islam, the country is quite tolerant to other traditions. The government recognizes both Muslim and Christian holidays. The Great Mosque of Touba is among the largest of its kind in West Africa. Photo by Mariusz Klutzniak
In Wolof, teranga is the word for hospitality and generosity of spirit that informs how guests are treated and resources are shared. The spirit of teranga is front and center during meals, when everyone generally shares from a communal bowl. Hand washing with pitchers of clean water is an important pre-meal ritual. Food is usually eaten with the fingers, and good manners dictate that diners eat only from the part of the bowl right in front of them.
