Senegal, one month in ... (a photo-narrative)

[Blane]

Since a couple people asked and I realized I hadn't really mentioned anything (except a post int the food forum I guess) here's a bit of info about my first month living in Dakar.

First off, it's stupid expensive here! I blew about 1,000 bucks in the first two weeks in accomodation alone because I was having trouble finding a place to live that was furnished, reasonably close to work (traffic is hell), and even the least bit affordable.

Finally settled on this joint:

It's the reddish brick, not the luxury high-rise behind it. The photo's taken from my office window, so you get an idea of my daily commute. About 2 minutes. My balcony is directly behind that palm tree on the 2nd floor.

I'm working in the center of downtown Dakar for my day-to-day, which means I get a lot of the chaos and intensity of the city at all times. Kinda neat, kinda exhausting, depending on how I feel.

Here's an arial view of the block by my place on a friday right before mass-prayer. I live across the street from the biggest mosque in the downtown, so it gets pretty crazy:

You can see that I've got the #1 concert venue in town right beside me too. Lots of good stuff going on there regularly and a good resto-bar there too.

On friday afternoons it's pedestrian gridlock!

I work with the coolest people in the world. Mostly Senegalese, with a few foreigners (France, UK, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Mali, Morocco). THey're all super friendly adn are open to telling me pretty much anything I want to know which has been a big help for my research. However, because of age and religious differences (Senegal is 90% muslim), I don't get to have much after work fun with them.

STill, one co-worker took me to traditional African wrestling, which is the biggest sport in the country, even bigger than football now. If you're into half-naked buff black men crawling around in the dirt, this sport is for yoU! Needless to say, I only went once.

I've gotten out of my neighborhood pretty regularly to check out the outskirts of the city, the beach, neighbouring islands and so on, but the biggest adventures are still to come, for sure. Today I went into one of the poorest areas of town, which was definately an experience. You go from Mercedes and BMWs downtown to horse-pulled cards a few km's out of the center. The disparity is unbelievable. Just consider the fact that my rent is 700+ canadian per month for a studio apartment, and the average annual income for a senegalese is less than that.

HEre are a few pics from outings around the area:

Locals doing a movie shoot. Totally random thing that I stumbled upon while walking around one day.

The beach. A mix of fishing, swimming, wresting, and toxic waste. Great fun!

Goree Island. Famous as a major port for slave trading. Now a major center for cultural heritage and a preserved colonial settlement.

The last piece of land slaves saw before sitting in waste for two weeks en route to the americas. Heavy shit.

The streets of Goree. Filled with artists, kids, and vendors.

This weekend I'm heading up to the north, to St. Louis, a popular city for arts and culture. It'll probably be the last "vacation" I get for a while, as shit is about to get pretty serious here. The reason I'm here is to look at how interantional development actually takes place. How communities' perceptions of the process and what they gain (and lose) from it differ from the nice glossy reports we see from the World Bank, UNICEF, and other agencies. And whose needs and visions are actually articulated in development.

I've spent my first month getting to know the environment, the people, etc. and am now at the stage where I'm going to head off into "the field" to really start talking with people. In two cases this will mean heading several hundred km out of dakar, to rural agricultural communities that are trying to do things "differently", to talk to them, learn from them, and share in some experiences. It's a pretty scary proposition in some ways, but also really exciting. I'm doing as much as I can to prepare now but I'm sure most of that will go out the window once I get there, adn realize it's impossible to understand peoples' lived experiences without actually being there directly in the context and talking with them(something development agencies have a hard time remembering themselves).

Ok, anyhow, that's the long story. I'll try to put up something in another few weeks, maybe with some photos from the communities. I've also got to go on a visa run to another country, though I don't know which one it'll be yet. I'm here a little bit illegally, so I have to deal with that. Probably go with either the Gambia, Mali or Ghana. Who knows.

No malaria yet, no food poisoning yet. No violent altercations. And so far only a few vicious hangovers, so all is well!

[bouche]

thx for the update Blane.

[phorbesie]

thanks blane! good to know what you're up to over there. i thought you were over there all officially-like with the govt or something, not do-it-yourself! it sounds neat. surprised to hear how expensive it is.

[paisley]

right ons! thanks for sharing that

doing something worthwhile, learning lots and many prospects for adventure... like the stuff in books... awesome pics... slave colony looks like a heavy visity

seems like taking a guide to the more remote locales is recommended on the travel shows but you're the best judge for that

keep up the good work, if you get time let us know what its like out in the rural areas

cheers your way (and to the good people at IDRC)

Edited July 17, 2007 by Guest

[Blane]

well, I also kept my job with the UN and am working 10 hours a week supporting ENDA (the people I work with) on their activities as a part of that job. My boss and the heads here have been really good about giving me the flexibility to go off on my own to do research and put in my hours for them when they fit.

OTherwise, IDRC (an institute run by the Canadian gov't) paid for me to come here with a research grant.

NOTE: This post was made possible by the kind people at IDRC.

Edited July 17, 2007 by Guest

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Looks incredible. I'd say, "Do enjoy," but it looks like you're doing a good job . Senegal's a country I've always wanted to get to, and remains one at the top of the list.

[bradm]

Thanks for this, Blane, it sounds like an amazing adventure. (And an educational one for me, at least, as I now have references for the Noises From The Toolshed song "Cape Verde Blues" and The Slip's song "Wolof.")

Aloha,

Brad

[Davey Boy 2.0]

thanks blane, keep on rocking

[gentlemonkey]

WOW, Kick-ass Blane!

Stay safe- we're proud of you!

[AD]

sounds like a great experience blane, keep safe. keep taking pictures too!

[phorbesie]

ah...i do remember you going over there on a grant, but the kinda-illegal visa bit confused me!

have fun

ps. how hard is it to understand the french accent there? i think their slang must be pretty involved.

[DevO]

Great to see some pics and hear your updates! Keep 'em coming.

Senegal has some good surf opportunities from what I understand..

[Booche]

Thank you.

[PassedOutGuy]

Awesome Blane... keep up the posts...

Take care brother...

[hamilton]

Awesome photos. Sounds like a great opportunity!

[phorbesie]

i have more questions:

have you gotten sick from food or water? (i always do so am curious) do you drink the water or treat it somehow?

are you eating mostly nice restaurants so far or do you eat street food?

are you on anti-malarials?

did you need any shots to go there?

thanks

[Blane]

Great to see some pics and hear your updates! Keep 'em coming.

Senegal has some good surf opportunities from what I understand..

Kev, that photo above with the fishing nets was actually taken at the same beach (Ouakam). Definately a ton of surf here, but I wouldn't trust renting a board, even if I could find one, and i'm not sure there are lessons. That might not be the case around Saly, the vacation coast further south.

have you gotten sick from food or water? (i always do so am curious) do you drink the water or treat it somehow?

are you eating mostly nice restaurants so far or do you eat street food?

are you on anti-malarials?

did you need any shots to go there?

thanks

Never been sick from food or water (knock on wood). Kinda surprising really, I think it has to do with the malaria meds actually. I drink bottle water here. I basically go with whatever the head guy here does. He's french and has lived here since 1991. THey have a brilliant 2-bucket filtering system here that locals use. It's a bit like an industrial Brita, and it's great because you can carry it around like a pail, so even people living in the streets can drink filtered tap water. The tap water stinks and is kind of yellow, so there's not really much incentive to taste test. I do use it to brush my teeth though. But with a 10-litre jug of bottled water costing less than 2 dollars, I prefer to play it safe.

In terms of food, I eat nearly anything. I don't really eat the street food on the side of the road, largely because most of it is grilled meat, but also because it really doesn't look very sanitary (the roadsides here also double as toilets for example). Even my Senegalese co-workers avoid those places. However, the little local restaurants are great. I eat uncooked salad and whatnot from them without problems. A meal from those places costs 1.50-2.50 canadian. Tourist restos are everywhere and I treat myself to those from time to time, though for the most part it's almost the same stuff as at the other joints. There are some italian, vietnamese, thai, french, chinese, and even korean places in my neighbourhood, so getting a change of pace is easy, though a bit pricey(like 6-10 bucks for a meal).

I'm on doxycylene for malaria, which is an anti-biotic. Keeps you from getting sick, but turns your body into a bacterial wasteland. I try to offset that by eating yogourt for breakfast every morning (with a side of dirt ). So far they've been good with a few exceptions. THey make you photosensitive, which in africa isn't ideal. You get feeling heat-strokey a lot faster, so you have to take breaks in the shade and always wear sunscreen.

For shots, I got:

- Yellow fever

- Hep A/B

- Menengitis

- Polio/diptheria

- Tetanus

I already had some from my last time in africa but it still cost a lot. I got the Hep booster here at the health clinic for 20 bucks.

It's not exactly easy, and probably not for everyone, but it's definately a great experience and totally transforming. Last night I walked past a dead cat for the 2nd time in the last year. The first time was in Montreal and I remember being REALLY shaken by it (who's cat was it? how could someone have hit it and just left it there? what if that happened to my cat?). Last night the question that went through my mind was whether the city had people to come scrape up the dead animals! Kinda morbid example, but you can see how your perspectives shift.

Edited July 18, 2007 by Guest

[Ms.Huxtable]

Safe journey Blane. Thanks for the updates.

[phishtaper]

If you're into half-naked buff black men crawling around in the dirt, this sport is for yoU!

slip forum please

very cool pics, blane. must be fascinating to be there.

[phorbesie]

sounds good blane.

you lucky guy not getting sick ever! i alllllllways get sick. then again, i'm not very careful about foodstuffs. maybe it's time to change my tactics.

[bagochips]

Good to hear from you Blane. Malaria meds are a bitch. That said, malaria is no doubt worse. Thanks for the update. Be safe.

[Blane]

I believe I'm having a SUPER rare reaction to my meds as well, which is that they're staining my teeth! Nothing too serious YET, but I'm really hoping it doesn't get worse adn it's not permanent. They dont' recommend Doxy for kids because of that, but among adults it's almost unheard of. Fucking meds.

[timouse]

what an amazing story, blane. thanks for sharing, and good luck with the teeth thing.

[phorbesie]

blane please be careful about your teeth!

i had a student in japan, a young pretty girl, whose teeth were dark grey permanently due to some sort of reaction to medication. it was a real shame cuz she looked horrible when she smiled and was otherwise so cute and sweet!

[Blane]

yeah, trust me I've thought about it. Problem is I can't get any info. After some research I can find one academic article from Aug. 2006 claiming to have the first ever reported case of this happening. That's how rare this seems to be. I went so far as to write the author of the article, but I'm reluctant to quit taking the anti-malarials, or to start experimenting with other types mid-trip!