Senegal: DAKAR, the capital of Senegal

DAKAR, the capital of Senegal is a modern city of more than 1.5 million people with beautiful contemporary buildings and some historical colonial houses.

It is a vibrant city with active open-air markets, cafe terraces, a wide range of hotels, delicious food and a great night life.

You can discover Dakar by taking a walk along the ocean or the busy city streets.
Art lovers will find an abundance of galleries, artists' studios, museums, and festivals.

Dakar is a shopper's paradise and exquisite crafts can be found in markets, on the streets, and in stores everywhere.

For the sport enthusiast, this city by the beach offers all water sports and golf, tennis, biking, and more.

 

Past & Present, Africa & Europe

Dakar, like many cities in the developing world, is strongly influenced by its colonial history. The Cap Vert peninsula had no urban tradition before colonial settlement and was mainly populated by small fishing villages. This tradition remains in Yoff, Ngor and Soumbedioune in the Medina, but European settlements displaced much of the original population and rapid urbanization in the 19th and 20th centuries continues to put pressure on these older villages. Colonial inequalities still persist as well; the traditional European area of the city remains the wealthiest and most modern, while the traditional African sections in Medina and Grand Dakar remain persistently poor. Poor African populations continue to live in these underserved neighborhoods and the traditional fishing villages, or in bidonvilles (shantytowns) in the Medina, Colobane and along the railroad into the suburbs. However, affluent and middle-class Dakarois continue to grow in number, and populate the old European city, the west coast of the peninsula, and the relatively new SICAP/HLM neighborhoods.

Traditional Senegalese lifestyles also persist in Dakar, alongside European-style colonial-era parts of the city landscape. Although French remains Senegal's official language and the language of government, business and most schools, local languages can be heard throughout the city. Family ties and religious traditions remain strong, and Dakarois citizens - especially recent migrants - retain strong ties to the countryside. Dakar experiences large movements of people around major Muslim holidays as rural citizens visit family in the city or urban residents leave on pilgrimages to Mecca or the holy city of Touba in central Senegal. Many aspects of daily life have both an African and European flavor to them - residents speak local languages mixed with French, families eat traditional Senegalese dishes with baguettes, nightclubs play jazz, European dance music and Senegalese mbalax tunes, and Catholic churches sit alongside mosques on city streets.

Unfortunately, the city's colonial past and its current rapid rate of urbanization have also created major urban problems: the city's infrastructure and funds cannot keep up with its growth, and many of the poor African neighborhoods remain underserved. Especially in the suburbs and the outskirts of the peninsula, residents go without basic services like electricity and water, and Dakar's roads cannot handle the increasing traffic. The city is still growing fast and will have to accomodate new residents with its limited resources.

The Plateau.

The Plateau, historically the French area of the city, still has a very European character. Visitors to the Plateau remark that many parts of the urban landscape are indistinguishable from a street in a French city. This is where the city's major banks and businesses are located. European style cafes and shops are also found throughout the area. Historical buildings such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Presidential Mansion and the railroad station are also located here. These center on Place de L'independance, a grassy square near the center of the city.

Not far from this symbolic city center are two of Dakar's markets, Kermel and Sandaga. March� Kermel is primarily an artisans' market, full of sculpture, jewelry and other objects. March� Sandaga, on the other hand, sells an extremely wide variety of goods: fabric, used and new clothing, household goods, beauty products, toys, books, etc. Located only a few blocks from Place de L'independance, the market's noise and crowds are in sharp contrast with the European-style office buildings in the city center.

At the tip of Cap Vert is a point called Cap Manuel. Cap Manuel is home to some of Dakar's most expensive homes and hotels, with a view of the ocean and Goree Island. The Palais de Justice, built on Cap Manuel just before Senegal won independence, is now falling into ruin.

Medina & Colobane.

Just north of the Plateau, Medina is the traditional African quarter of the city. It is a small and densely populated area with older [Monument at the end of Blvd. De Gaulle in Colobane. Photo from www.au-senegal.com] housing and infrastructure. Medina is home to the Grande Mosquee de Dakar and the Soumbedioune market. Historically, Medina has been one of the more underserved sections of the city, but its proximity to the CBD and major roads has improved services in the area. However, there is still a visible contrast between the wealthy, European-style downtown and the less planned, poorer areas in Medina.

Colobane, situated along one of Dakar's main roads, is the site of a major transportation hub for cars rapides and Ndiaga Ndiaye, the private buses that carry passengers around the city and to the suburbs. This area of the city has grown rapidly and suffers from heavy traffic and underdeveloped housing.

These two neighborhoods are known for being some of the most lively areas of Dakar; Medina was the birthplace of the famous singer Youssou N'Dour and is now home to several celebrated nightclubs and Colobane is home to one of the city's busiest markets.

In this photo one can see why the downtown area is called the Plateau. This photo is taken from the Atlantic side, Hann Bay and the port are on the other side of the Plateau and the Cap Vert peninsula is barely visible in the background. This photo also shows why Dakar's site is ideal for a port; the peninsula creates a calm, deep water bay in contrast to the rocky cliffs of the coast. Dakar's climate also makes the port an ideal site. The industrial zone runs between the railroad and Hann Bay and includes many of Senegal's domestic industries. Along the railroad and near factories where migrant workers seek jobs in the city, squatter settlements have grown.
 

North of Medina and in the center of the peninsula, this area is comprised of medium-density housing (small apartment buildings and villa-style homes) and small commerical enterprises. Construction here is relatively new, and traffic is heavy here as well as the transportation infrastructure has not caught up to the needs of the population. This area is home to mostly middle-class housing, although wealthy households as well as public housing and a few squatter settlements can be found. The regularized housing here is developed by SICAP (Societe Immobliere du Cap Vert) and HLM (Habitation a Louer Moderee), Dakar's official building agencies. Neighborhoods here include the upper-class Amitie and Sacre-Coeur and the middle-class Liberte and HLM.

Corniche Ouest, Almadies, Fann

[the University] Some of Dakar's wealthiest neighborhoods are along the Western coast of the peninsula. The Corniche Ouest is the main road that runs along the west coast, connecting Yoff and the airport to the city center. Here, the road is planned for visual appeal; a jogging trail and trees planted by the city run alongside the Corniche. The Mamelles lighthouse is located near the tip of the peninsula. Further south along the Corniche, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop and the IFAN (Institut Fondamental de l'Afrique Noir) African art museum can be found. This area is also home to several embassies and hotels and other businesses near the airport, including the Hotel Meridien President, akar's premier hotel ande conference site. Off the coast, near the southern end of the Corniche, are the Madeleines, a small group of rocky islands preserved as a national park. Although density is lower, traffic along the Corniche is a major problem as in the rest of the city.