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Nomad issue #26

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ROAD TRIP<br />

Nora Musa brushes up on her<br />

French then spends two weeks<br />

in Senegal, kicking off her trip<br />

in Dakar where she checks<br />

out beaches, cafes, markets,<br />

neighbourhoods, art and more.<br />

Dakar<br />

As I arrived at Blaise Diagne airport, I felt<br />

excited for the two weeks ahead.<br />

For this trip, I was prepared for the fact that<br />

not many people in Senegal speak English<br />

and had therefore tried to brush up on my<br />

very basic French. Fortunately, I found the<br />

Senegalese to be really patient people, and<br />

they appreciated the effort. I was staying in<br />

Mermoz, a middle class residential area. As<br />

we drove along the beautiful Dakar Corniche,<br />

I realised that I was only staying ten minutes<br />

away from it. The Corniche is where the<br />

whole city seemingly converges for open air<br />

circuit training, zumba classes, a run or walk<br />

at sunset.<br />

Breakfast and brunch<br />

As someone who loves to linger over<br />

breakfast and a nice cappuccino, I checked<br />

out cafes and brunch spots online in this city<br />

where new, trendy eateries are constantly<br />

popping up. I headed for Lulu cafe, a<br />

ten minute walk from my Airbnb, passing<br />

older people dressed in brightly coloured<br />

traditional dress. One thing I love about<br />

Africa is the embracing of colour. At Lulu’s<br />

I ordered the breakfast special, and the<br />

food and decor had me sitting there for far<br />

longer than originally planned. As the space<br />

is divided into different sections, it’s also a<br />

place where you could go and work. Other<br />

great breakfast and brunch spots in the<br />

Mamelle and Mermoz area include Melo<br />

cafe and Simoni cafe. Downtown, there<br />

are lots of options for breakfast such as La<br />

Galette and Press Cafe.<br />

Beaches<br />

Being on the western tip of Africa, you won’t<br />

struggle to find beaches in Senegal. The most<br />

well known is Saly on the Petite Côte where<br />

you’ll notice a large French and Belgian<br />

presence, and Cap Skirring in the Southern<br />

region of Casamance. Even in Dakar,<br />

however, you’ll find some beaches, and<br />

these were some of my first stops- places to<br />

unwind and catch up on some reading before<br />

heading into town. One option is Mamelle<br />

beach, a ten minute taxi ride from where I<br />

was staying. If you do a lot of solo travel, taxi<br />

drivers can be a great way to source for local<br />

recommendations, get tips for prices and<br />

practise the local language. This ride was<br />

no different - a fun exchange of elementary<br />

French, Wolof, English and Arabic.<br />

Mamelle beach is small but very<br />

charming, backed by lovely little eateries<br />

and places to get umbrellas or mats to lie on.<br />

When I got there at about 10.30am, it was<br />

just me and three young boys alternating<br />

between playing football and jumping<br />

into the water. As I was about to leave,<br />

the people working in the cafes came and<br />

introduced themselves; new friends made for<br />

my next visit. In the mid to late afternoon,<br />

this place gets busier with more tourists but is<br />

still a nice respite from the city. If you want a<br />

bigger beach, head to the lively Yoff about<br />

30 minutes away and you can learn to surf<br />

there too.<br />

Almadies<br />

This neighbourhood in the north of the city<br />

is where some of the nicest sea-facing cafes,<br />

hotels and night spots are. Some allow you<br />

to go down and join the surfers or get your<br />

feet wet. I met up with a friend at Chez Fatou<br />

where we snacked, caught up and took<br />

some pictures with the incredible sea view<br />

behind us. I spent other sunsets and evenings<br />

in Almadies at Sharkeys, Jet cafe among<br />

others. Many of the places with sea-facing<br />

terraces also had sun loungers so you can<br />

still get work done or read a book while<br />

sunbathing.<br />

DAKAR HAS BECOME<br />

such a creative hub that last year, a specialist artist<br />

residency called Black Rock Senegal was set up to much<br />

fanfare and an opening party that included creatives<br />

from all over Africa, Europe and the US. Set up by<br />

Kehinde Wiley, the artist who was commissioned to<br />

paint a portrait of Barack Obama, it’s an exciting<br />

addition to the local art scene. A browse through<br />

Instagram will help you connect with many creatives<br />

doing great things here.<br />

Medina<br />

I’d read online about the old part of the<br />

city called Medina becoming a hub for<br />

street art, so I reached out to a few local<br />

creatives to accompany me on a walk<br />

to make it a little more informative. One<br />

of the first to respond was a talented<br />

internationally accomplished photographer<br />

and filmmaker called Abdoulaye. He met<br />

me at Soumbédioune beach early in the<br />

morning to watch the fishermen bringing in<br />

their night’s haul, as others went out to sea<br />

to replace them. We talked to them and took<br />

photos of the colourful pirogue boats then<br />

headed off into the Medina with a pit stop<br />

for a street baguette and omelette. While<br />

it is a residential area, many of the locals<br />

have allowed the walls of their homes to be<br />

painted with beautiful murals by local artists.<br />

Islamic influence<br />

Dakar is home to some beautiful mosques<br />

and I decided to visit my favourite, Mosquee<br />

De La Divinite. It’s set down from The<br />

Corniche against the sea, and the dramatic<br />

setting combined with its stunning green and<br />

white colour is truly a feast for the eyes. I<br />

was greeted by the guardian, Mohammed.<br />

His uncle had founded the mosque and was<br />

buried in front. Another delight? The mosque<br />

was only open during prayer time but he<br />

opened the green shutter windows to show<br />

me the inside and told me that men had one<br />

floor downstairs but the women had two<br />

floors. This is something you’ll see across<br />

Senegal, women are actively welcomed to<br />

pray. Dakar may not have as many mosques<br />

as say Cairo or Istanbul but at prayer time,<br />

people will pray anywhere; while waiting to<br />

be served in markets and when waiting for<br />

taxis, if it is time, the prayer mats will come<br />

out, then they continue with their business.<br />

Markets<br />

You cannot visit Dakar without visiting<br />

a market or two. Located downtown,<br />

Sanadaga is so big that taxis will ask you<br />

which part you want to go to. Fabric?<br />

Jewellery? What do you need to buy? I<br />

was determined to get something made<br />

for myself and therefore decided to find a<br />

market insider. I was connected to Ibrahim,<br />

a friendly tailor, salesman and market guide.<br />

He greeted me wearing a bright yellow<br />

thobe (bou-bou) and equally bright smile.<br />

I scurried along behind him as he took me<br />

up the steps of a building in a busy market<br />

intersection, full of different rooms with<br />

fabric. He left me to choose a design and<br />

material I wanted, and this was followed<br />

by a little price negotiation. Sewing is<br />

usually done in a few hours but I returned<br />

the following day to pick them up. Other<br />

than Sandaga, HLM is good for markets,<br />

while on a smaller scale Marche Artisanal<br />

Samboudine is where you can get jewellery<br />

and crafts.<br />

Landmark<br />

The African Renaissance statue is of a<br />

man, woman and child facing the sea,<br />

and is the tallest in Africa. Built in 2010<br />

to commemorate independence, the long<br />

flight of stairs leading up to this statue adds<br />

to its drama and is a prime spot to take<br />

photographs. It is always worth a visit even<br />

just for the fabulous views over Dakar. It was<br />

not without controversy when it was built<br />

due to the cost, the short skirt the woman<br />

is wearing and the fact that it overlooks<br />

the mosque. However, people now seem<br />

to have warmed to it, and whether or not<br />

you visit, you’ll most definitely drive past it<br />

at some point. I actually love the statue...<br />

to me it represents strength, family and<br />

independence.<br />

NOMAD MAGAZINE 2020 39

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