Christmas in Senegal with my family

After the most wonderful Christmas days with my lovely family, first in hectic Dakar followed by relaxation in Saint Louis, they have now gone back to Denmark. I miss them a lot, but I cherish so dearly all the unforgettable, hilarious and not least bizarre experiences we have shared this Christmas! What a trip...

Merry Christmas from Senegal!

Christmas has come to Dakar

Senegal is a Muslim country, yes. But why waste a good occasion to celebrate?!

My local supermarket

My own Boubou

Ever since I wore a boubou at Tabaski I have dreamed of having my own boubou. All my Senegalese friends and colleagues have likewise been pressuring me to get one to wear on Fridays, like all the other Senegalese do. A very sweet colleague of mine offered to go with me to find the right fabric and to take me to her tailor. My lovely boubou arrived today and it turned out like this:

It has been a major success at the office today, people have gone all 'Wolof' on me. Maybe this will give me the chance to gain even further access into their culture... Well, frankly the process of the making in itself gave me quite an interesting glance of the Senegalese perception of beauty. I was the one creating the design of the boubou. I drew a sketch for the tailor, he took note while I explained and he measured me thoroughly. Still, when I came to pick it up Wednesday something was different than expected. I tried it on before paying, as my colleague advised me to, and that was quite lucky. The dress was HUGE. I looked like a midget drowning in fabric. The tailor looked very content with the result. I was confused, so I asked him why he had made it ten sizes too big for me. He answered me like it was the most obvious thing in the world: "But you need space to grow".

Birthday in Senegal

Yes, I have now lived for a quarter of a century, and it feels good! This year it was not only the number which was a bit special, but also the circumstances were quite unique. You never know what to expect when you celebrate your birthday far away from home. So I feel so lucky to have actually been celebrated all the way down here in Senegal. My roommate, Jojoh, her boyfriend, Cheikh and our neighbour, Marie were so very kind to take the whole day off to go with me to Île Ngor. It is a tiny paradise island less than a kilometre from the coast of Dakar. There are no cars, almost no people, and just palm trees and sunshine. We had to take a small pirogue to get there.

We spent the most lovely day relaxing in the sun, swimming in the clear sea and eating delicious food. How is that for a birthday in November?!

Jojoh and Cheikh in the water and Marie being a chicken

As dusk fell we found a pirogue to bring us back to the mainland. There we went for some drinks at a nice bar. Slightly tipsy, entirely relaxed and very content with my day, I returned to my chaotic neighbourhood ready to start off a new year in 'Cille-world' where ever that might take me.

5 am in the morning

As you might have read in my earlier posts, my new place is great. There is just this liiiiiiittle thing... We live right next to a mosque. Having to fit in 5 prayers during the day, they start out pretty early. More specifically at 5 am! Luckily I am a very heavy sleeper, so usually it is not a big problem for me. But when I came home from a party at that time this morning I actually realised how loud it is! You can hear for yourselves in the video below.

Visit from Denmark

My Servas-colleague, Jan, was in Senegal with a friend of his to do a very interesting roadtrip around the country. I had the pleasure of spending a lovely evening with the two of them at their groovy hostel in Dakar before they were heading back Europe. Thanks a lot, Jan!

My new hood

After almost two months living with my Senegalese family, I have moved to a new place. The long distance between work and home became a bit too much for me. Going home in rush hour could take more than two hours! Furthermore, for a Danish, independent girl, living in a family where you do EVERYTHING together (Senegalese style!!) was fun and interesting, and has for sure been a cultural kick starter, but it was not a sustainable solution. I like my 'private space' now and then, and that kind of space just doesn't exist here. So when a colleague told me that she had a spare room in her apartment situated close to the centre and my office, I decided to try something new. Here I have my own little room, and then share kitchen, living room and bathroom with my two roomies. Frankly speaking, the neighbourhood is quite chaotic and trashy, but people are nice and friendly. I already know the neighbours and they often invite me over for dinner or stop by for a small chat in the evening. Best of all is that I can walk to work!

Mo Ibrahim Foundation Prize Ceremony

So this weekend I was going to just relax and try to recuperate after a hectic week at work (more on that later...). Haha, like a weekend like that exists in crazy Dakar. Saturday a friend who is very engaged in development work here in Senegal called me to ask if I wanted to come with him to the annually award show and following day's panel discussion arranged by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. YES!!!

Mo Ibrahim is a very successful African business man, who has decided to use some of his wealth on promoting and rewarding good governance and leadership in Africa. Each year a week long workshop is held in an African country which is concluded by a prize ceremony and a day of panel discussion on a chosen topic of relevance to the development of good governance.

This year the event took place in the big theatre of Dakar:

It was a surprisingly big and glamorous ceremony, almost like the award shows that we know from TV with famous people speaking on the podium and superstars entertaining between the speeches and awardings. I had the pleasure to see lovely Senegalese musicians such as Baaba Maal and Youssou Ndour (who is now the minister of tourism?!?!).

When the founder, Mo Ibrahim, went on stage to welcome us, I understood why. What a charismatic, but also very eccentric man! He truly loves talking about his success, his struggles and him setting a good example, undoubtebly with good reason. He is honest and blunt, and apparently not so easy to impress. Last year the award was actually cancelled, since he did not find any suitable candidates for the prize on the African continent! Luckily, this year someone had deserved to be honoured, and it was a very special person; Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Nobel Prize winning (1984) Tutu fought alongside with Nelson Mandela against apartheid in Southern Africa, and has passed several years in prison, before becoming the first black Archbishop of Cape Town (meaning being the head of the Anglican church in South Africa). If you have ever met, or even just seen a picture of him, you will not be able to forget this man. He is one of the funniest and wisest persons I have ever encountered. When he entered the stage his lovable, charismatic and somehow manic personality immediately filled the room with a sense of trust and hope. He spoke in clear and concise sentences, but the message that came across reached far beyond the simple phrases. At the same time he made room for a much needed liberating laughter on an elsewise serious and heavy topic through crazy anecdotes from his incredible life experience.

As with most Senegalese events, the ceremony turned into a big party. The artists returning to the stage, and the audience quickly crowded the floor dancing Mbalax like maniacs. Safe to say that when we met up this morning at 9am to start the panel, people were slightly more quiet than usual. However, this changed after a few cups of coffee. This year's panel was on African youth and its ability to fulfil the potential spurring development. The participants engaged in the discussion with passion and commitment, and there were some quite fiery discussion during the day. Many different stakeholders were included in the four panel-teams formed beforehand, and each panel was led by a former African president. Below you see a picture of one of the panels where Tutu (on the left) was the chair and Mo Ibrahim (on the right) himself participated as a panellist. It is Tutu you see on the big screen too. And now you might be thinking; "couldn't she have chosen a more flattering picture of Tutu?". The answer is no, that is how he looks... all the time... Yes, manic.

The general conclusion of the long day's panel discussions was "less talk, more action". People are tired of having the same conversations on the big unexplored potential that the African continent, and above all the rapidly growing African youth holds. They want a revolution! But as Tutu so wisely rounded off the day by stating: "There is only one way to eat an elephant; piece by piece".

Mail from Denmark!!

Today's big event:

Lakrids and postcard from the best Manes in the World!

Becoming Sérére

One of the many tribes populating Senegal is the Séréres. Wolof is the dominating tribe by fare, while the Sérére are constitute the majority of the Christian population. Danes are said to be Séréres because of our surnames. Here a person's tribal affiliation is signified by his or her last name, and for the Séréres it is usually 'Sen'. And don't we all know that the Danes are known for all their Jensens, Hansens, Jørgensens, Larsens and so on. So when I moved in with a Sérére family, it seemed like a perfect match. This weekend I had the opportunity to get a bit closer to my tribal 'roots'.

I was invited by the youngest sister of Cécile to come see her choir perform Christian and traditional Sérére songs and dances at their annual concert. It was a big event with many people attending and it all turned into a big party as the evening progressed. The choir was remarkably well prepared and sang beautifully, but what impressed me the most was their ability to switch between multiple languages without any difficulties. Not only did they sing in 4 different Senegalese tribal languages, they also mastered songs in French, English, Spanish, Italian and Latin. And did they bring the lyrics on stage? - NO! Nobody would be able to read them anyway, since they were all shaking, jumping and waving their way through the concert. At a point I even had to ask my friends if they had already started the dance session or what was going on. What a show! Unfortunately, it was very dark so the pictures are terrible, but I hope you can get an impression of the vibrant choir anyway:

The bongo-band

The choir dressed in traditional Sérére gowns

When the concert was done the audience formed a big circle and the band moved down from the stage. It was now accompanied by a male lead-singer and a choir of three girls with surprisingly pitchy voices. The big space in the middle became the dance-stage where anyone who felt like participating could perform the traditional Sérére dance. Get the party started! Each song starts out in a slow pace where a volunteer starts walking to the rhythm of the music collecting people from the audience to join the 'snake' of dancers. As the snake become a considerable length the music becomes more hectic and the drums start dominating. The snake breaks into smaller parts and the dancers battle each other in small duels. The speed with which they manage to move their feet is difficult to understand and they look like they are having spasms continually running through their bodies. The ambiance made it impossible to sit still. Well, I did not have much of a choice anyway. As the only Toubab I was pulled to the centre of the stage to be taught how to dance like a proper Senegalese. I am not sure if I succeeded or if I ever will. I think it has to be in your blood. The intensive dancing continued until sunrise! I have attached a short video clip of the dancing although the quality is awful, but words just cannot explain the bizarre and energetic movements of the dancers.

Tabaski!

"Tabaski special! 50 sheep to win!"

Yes, it is a sheep on the billboard. An African sheep apparently....

This Friday, Tabaski - the biggest religious holiday in Senegal, and for that matter the rest of the Islamic world - took place. In short, the Muslims celebrate and remember Ibrahim's unlimited devotion to God when he was ready to kill his own son to proof his faith. God was so kind as to replace the son with a sheep; hence sheep is the recurring theme.

This is a MAJOR event! During the last month it has been clear to me that something big was brewing, as the streets started to get crowded with herds of sheep and the tailors were working around the clock. But I had not imagined that this holiday could exceed the annual Christmas-fuzz that I know so well from Denmark. I was supposed to do field work last week, but we had to postpone it since people simply could not concentrate on anything else than 'la fête' as the big day approached. It could take me 2-3 hours to return from the office in the evening, because the entire population of Dakar is preparing, getting their hair done, grocery shopping, visiting their tailor, choosing their sheep etc. Everyone is on the move. The consumption taking place is excessive considering how modest most Senegalese are living normally. Normally, everybody returns to their villages to be with their (laaaaarge) family during those days. This means that Dakar is absolutely deserted over the weekend. Unfortunately I did not have the chance to experience this, since I was in out of town, but I saw images from Dakar on the news and I could hardly recognise the city. It is namely not only the Muslims that return to their families to celebrate, the remaining 5% of the population are often invited to join as well. A Muslim colleague of mine even invited me to celebrate Tabaski with her and her family in Thiès, a city inland a few hours from Dakar. That is exactly what the religious fraternity that I mentioned in my last post is about. They do not care if your God is called Allah or Buddha or is non-existing. All are welcome to participate in the holiday on their own premises. The Christians staying at home during Tabaski receive presents, visits and big amounts of meat from their Muslim neighbours and friends, to make sure that no one is hungry or lonely on Tabaski.

So, Thursday at 13.00 sharp (meaning at 14-14.30, when do I learn it?) me and my colleague left the office to find a '7-places' at the bus station that could take us to Thiès. A 7-places is a normal car with seats in the trunk as well, summing up to 7 seats. That seemed pretty comfortable to me compared to many of the other transportation possibilities you have here in Senegal. Unfortunately, none of the 7-places were destined for Thiès, so we had to take a 'car rapide' (see picture in earlier post). That was, put in a nice way, an authentic experience! Apparently, there is no limite to what you can fit into and onto such a vehicle. Suitcases and live sheep are tied to the roof of the small bus. The excessive exodus of the big cities caused complete chaos on the roads and our driver even had to descend the car several times to tell off the other drivers. After a long and exhausting trip I arrived at my destination, and was given a warm (literally) welcoming by mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, cousins and children and random people (like me) who, for some reason, also are part of the family.

Friday morning I woke up very early from the sound of panicking sheep. I grabbed my camera and rushed to the entrance of the house. There I found five huge sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Before that the men had already been to the mosque for morning prayer. Now everybody was gathered for the ceremony of the slaughtering, children as well as adults. Each sheep belongs to someone in the family. The first 'kill' is the biggest sheep, of course belonging to the man of the house, the old Papa Aliou. Next came the sheep of the big brother, followed by the sheep of the sisters and old Mama Ndeye and so on and so forth. It was carnage, but I am proud to say that I stayed throughout the entire ceremony. It was after all reassuring to see how professional and painless the process was and within an hour all five sheep ready to eat.

Sheep before being slaughtered

Sheep after slaughtering

The women preparing the enormous amounts of meat:

When the meat is parted and ready the women start cooking, and this goes on for the rest of the day. The entire sheep is used, even the balls! They start by frying the insides, which is eaten with an onion sauce and mustard while preparing the rest of the meat. After hours of continuing cooking and eating, the huge lunch is ready and we can finally get something to eat... or wait, what did we do the whole day again?? The 'lunch-meat' is served on big shared plates with fries and onion sauce (they loooove onion) men, women and children eating separately:

After lunch we had a few hours of well-deserved rest to calm down the 'meat-sweats' and to get ready for the 'evening tour'. At sunset everybody dress up in what they call 'boubous', which is the traditionel Senegalese dresses worn at religious events, but often also on regular Fridays. For Tabaski everybody gets a new special boubou sown for the event. Even the children get tailor-made dresses! Me, I had borrowed a boubou from Cécile. It felt like being a little girl again, dressing up as a princess. It was absolutely amazing!

The rest of the night we spent visiting neighbours and friends of the family. People were incredibly welcoming, they all wanted to shake my hand and know where I came from, and share their Tabaski with me. Looking back at this unforgettable experience I can truly confirm that Senegal is the land of 'teranga' (hospitality)!

Lunch time in Dakar

The sad remainings (Catholics) of my usual 'lunch-club':

.....meanwhile in the streets of Dakar:

No need to say that 95% of the population is Muslim...

Around 13.30 the loud, crackling prayer begins, covering the city in a haze. Everybody descends to the streets with each their rug. We're in Africa so the exact time is not so important. I learned that the hard way. One day I was in a meeting a few blocks away and returned to the office at 13.15. I thought I could make it back in time, but that day they decided to start a bit early. I didn't realise until I was in the middle of the messing masses in my small summerdress trying to make my way through as discretely as possible. Talk about an awkward situation.

The last few weeks a group of Muslims have been manifesting the streets since their marabou has been imprisoned. The police found two disciples buried in his backyard, tortured and killed. Still, the followers of that marabou want the Government to set him free. Here each family have a marabou they follow and he is considered God to a lot of Muslims. Therefore, the marabou has the right to decide who should live and who should die. This meaning the marabou has committed no crime in ending the lives of these disciples. Luckily, it is only a small part of the Muslims who are that indoctrinated, and my Muslim friends and colleagues have generally be furious with this behaviour of their fellow Muslims. In Senegal there is space enough for all religions. They say they have a religious fraternity; something the rest of the world could learn from.

Senegalese cuisine

During my time here in Senegal I have been spoiled with many delicious fish dishes, but I had never actually seen where all the lovely fish came from until last week. I went to the local fish market where the fishermen return around 5 or 6pm with the daily load of fresh seafood in their colourful pirogues. Well, I guess the picture talk for themselves. Although I was completely ripped off (as a toubab I was charged 5 times as much as the locals...) it was great fun to be part of the vibrant crowd, and the six small, red fish i bought were tasty!

This weekend we celebrated the birthday of Cecile's youngest, Mary Jeanne. She turned 11. Here they don't give presents for birthdays, they give hair. So the big event of the day was a trip to the hairdresser with mummy. Later a big lunch was prepared and the house was packed with family members although it was just a small part of the huge family that was present for the birthday. We had 'poulet yassa', which is chicken with rice and a sauce based on onions and olives. Believe it or not, I ate some chicken! Let me put it this way, the aunt was quite insisting! Generally, people are quite concerned about 'la petite toubab' and her eating habits. If you have a skinny family member it means that your family is poor, so it is very important that I start working on my 'fondé' (= behind) apparently. So I really had to put it away. The sauce was also really delicious, but chicken is still not my friend... Below a picture of some of the family eating from a big, shared plate.

Otherwise, last week was quite busy at the office for me. ENDA had two messieurs from Risø (Denmark) visiting. They were here to perform a workshop and to gather information on the outcome of a big programme initiated in collaboration with, among others, ENDA. I had the pleasure of following the two colleagues of Gordon all week, participating in numerous interviews with small energy entrepreneurs, micro financing institutions, and specialists in renewable energy. I even had the opportunity to be the translator for the minister of energy in Senegal! It was a good and efficient way to get an insight into the methodology behind developmental programmes, and to get an understanding of how an NGO functions in real life. More of that, please!

Tourist for a day

This weekend I have been a real tourist for once. Gordon's colleague from Risø will spend the week with us here at ENDA doing research, and he had Sunday for sightseeing in Dakar, which was the perfect opportunity for me to do the same. The top-tourist attraction is a small island 5 km from the coast of Dakar, called Gorée. A small ferry shuttles back and forth picking up and droping off visitors. Just like at the beach last Sunday, the port was packed. Not only is Sunday generally the day for liesure among the Senegalese. Yesterday was also the day of a big swimming contest where children and teenagers cross the sea from the main-land all the way to the Gorée Island. Cécile's two sons also participated. It took us almost two hours to get on the ferry and to the island. But it was worth it! It was such a cute and charming landscape with green vegetation, small colourful houses and beautiful views. It makes it hard to believe that the island was originally used for shipping off masses slaves by the British, Portugese and of course the French. Today Gorée functions as a symbol of the injustice that took place for many descendants of slaves. However, many visitors just come to relax and enjoy the nice beaches, and the 1000 inhabitants live purely from tourism. For me it was very refreshing to get a break from dusty, chaotic Dakar for a while. It was lovely to be able to slender around the small streets and sit in the shade of a green tree with a cold beer. I found it reassuring to experience that Senegal is more than a noisy capital, and it actually made me appriciate Dakar more for what it has to offer. I will definately have make more of these trips to explore the different sites of this huge country.

Apart from this, I don't have much to report. Last week was predominantly spent in bed, since I managed to catch a mean flu. In 38 degrees heat with high fever it feels like you are dying, but somehow I survived and I am back in business! I hope I have seen the last of flus for now.

rain rain rain

FINALLY! After some very very hot days where you could almost cut through the air, the rain came yesterday. Real tropic rain with drops the size of a tennisball. What a relief. I was on my way home from the office when it started. I thought Dakar was chaotic before, but yesterday I experienced real chaos (although the locals tell me that it can get much worse). The streets were like rivers and large pools formed rapidly where ever the water could pass. It was incredible to see. When I came home I celebrated by putting on a long-sleeved shirt for the first time since my arrival. Mmm, reminds me of the Danish Fall.

This is probably the last part of the rainy season, from now on it will get dry and cold (read: less hot!!). I say, I am really looking forward to that, cause with the humidity comes mosquitos. Oh, how they drive me insane these days. The first week I was here there were no problems. i could even sleep without a mosquito-net. But now, I sleep with the net every night, I put on repellent all the time, I cover my room and my things in mosquito-killer-spray OF DOOM, and still, the bastards manage to bite me. Even in my face! I don't know what I look like. My colleagues laugh at me everyday when I come to work with new swollen bites; "oooh la pauvre toubab". I just can't wait till they disappear....

Apart from the mosquitos everything is fine in Dakar. I have slowly started working at ENDA. I have become part of a team called LightingAfrica, which is a project developed in cooperation with the Senegalese government. The idea is to promote education on and access to lighting and electrification in the poor and rural areas of Senegal, and eventually the entire Africa. Solar energy is the source to this progress and microfinancing should provide the possibility for even the poorest to invest. In large areas of Senegal wood is the primary source to energy, which is detrimental to the environment as well as to the safety of the rural population. ENDA, as a neutral party with sufficient expertise, is then supposed to do monitoring and evaluation of this project proposal in order to gain funding from the World Bank to continue. My role has been to formulate the indicators of possible impact with their research as the backdrop. It is truly exciting to be part of a real project, and to contribute to the development in this area.

The weekend has been packed. Cécile has so many friends and family members who want to 'entertain' me. I went to the bar of Cécile's younger brother with a colleague Friday. Since I am doing an internship there, we were not in danger of thirsting. I tried all the different local beers, I need to know them all if I should become a good bartender I guess. Well, they were all very nice, as far as I remember. Saturday Cécile's cousin, Jacky, offered a guided tour around Dakar on his scooter. We saw the city centre, the coast line, the airport and finally we when to his cousin's house for a party. Or actually, i don't know if it was his cousin or his uncle or his brother or if they were even related. They are all somehow related here, and if they are not they probably grew up together. My boss is Cécile's uncle and Jacky's grandfather, and how that makes Jacky and Cécile cousins, I do not know... Anyway, the cousins took me out dancing the local 'mbalax' at a disco. Here it is not the girls dancing while the boys a drinking. Here the boys are going crazy on the dance floor, and they are not shy. The entire disco is bouncing in an inferno of arms and legs and big white smiles.

Waking up with hangovers Sunday, it was perfect that a friend of Cécile, Demba, invited me to the beach, I thought. Nice, calm and relaxing. But in Dakar, there is no such thing. Anders, you asked for pictures from the beach. I hope the following images can give you an impression beach life in central Dakar on a nice Sunday afternoon. It was fun to experience, but I hope my next beach adventure will take place a bit outside Dakar, where I have heard about the most amazing beaches. In the evening I went yet again to the beach, this time with Jacky and his friends where we enjoyed freshly grilled fish under the big African moon.

My hood

Here are a few picture from my everyday scenery in Dakar. First, three pictures is from my current home; my bedroom, the livingroom with the oldest son, Joe, and the roof terrace. The following two pictures are from my neighborhood, Grand Yoff. First, the local bakery/grocery store, and next you see one of the bigger streets in the area. Lastly, I have attached a picture of the famous "car rapides".

Je m'apelle Diouma

I have passed my first weekend in Dakar where I have had the pleasure of experiencing the famous "Dakar by night". And it is true what they say, Dakar never sleeps! I went out with some colleagues who took me dancing. I had great fun learning the crazy moves of the Senegalese traditional dance, jumping, kicking, spasming. I could get used to that. It was refreshing to get out and socialise a bit, and nice to get to know my colleagues better. Sunday night Cecile, the colleague I live with took me to her littlebrother's bar. It was like a big living room with colorful sofas, home-cooked meals and a very attentive host. He offered me an internship in his bar, which means that I can call him anytime and he will come pick me up and drive me to the bar. What a nice offer. This was also the night where I got my Senegalese name: Diouma Sarr. I guess they are slowly turning me into a real Senegalese.

Of course I also had some activities during the day. Saturday Cecile took me to the local market to buy vegetables and spices. Apparently, supermarkets are not that usual here. There are a few but the majority of people's everyday groceries are bought at their local market. It was a chaos of insisting vendors, dead animals, and blankets covered with all sorts of exotic vegetable and fruits.

Saturday I also had the chance to go to the beach by "car rapid", which is a kind of bus which is everything but rapid. They are small, trachy and extremely colorful mini-busses that take hours to get around the city. There is no real schedule of where the busses go, so you have to ask the driver if he will stop where you need to get off. When you want to get off you must tap a coin on the roof of the car. Luckily I had a helper with me to make sure we found the beach. The beaches are lovely here. The water is warm and the sand is clean. But it is difficult being a toubab (white person) on the beach. Everybody notice you, point at you and laugh if you look confused. However, it is not in a very mean way, but simply because there are no other toubabs around. One guy even called me a carrot!

Sunday is where you gather to eat a big lunch together with your family, friends and neighbors in Senegal. So Cecile and I spent the whole morning preparing a big traditional meal for lunch. It is called ceebu jën and it consists of rice cooked in a paste of tomato, some insides of a fish, garlic and chili, and with this you have fish and vegetables. The dish is served in a big bowl from which everybody eat from with their hands while seated on the floor. It tasted really nice and it was a very cozy experience.