So Senegal - Slaves, Salsa, and Haiti

Fun stuff I’ve done so far:

Our 3rd weekend here we went to Goree Island, a tiny island off the coast of Dakar. It’s just a trip to downtown Dakar and a fifteen minute ferry ride away. Ir’s known for its position as a holding spot of slaves before they were shipped to other countries around the world. However, if you do research on the island, the history of it explains that far fewer slaves were held here than people think. Its importance is just that it is symbolizes the slave trade.

At Goree, we went to the House of Slaves, the place where the slaves were held, and we went to a Senegalese cultural museum. The museums were our morning and the afternoon was spent exploring the island, discovering the best spots for a view of Dakar and avoiding local vendors. The vendors did have this cool instrument, which was two wooden balls connected by twine. You hold the twine in your hand and flip it with your thumb back and forth to make the two wooden balls hit each other. It creates a cool beat that you can dance to. I learned how to play the simple version, but the vendors could do cool tricks like hitting the wooden balls against their bodies to make different sounds. One guy even played and sang “We’ll be together” by Sean Kingston.

We have also gone to this resort place called Toubab Dialaw, which literally translates to “more white people are coming.” It’s just a beautiful place to relax on the beautiful Senegalese coast line. I ate amazing food, read in the most comfortable hammocks I have ever laid in, and tanned on the beach. We got to take classes in either batiking, African dancing, or African drumming. Batiking is the process of dyeing fabrics to make patterns. I chose the dancing and drumming. The dancing was so much fun and a good workout. You’re expected to give every move your all and throw your body up and then this way and that way. I was nearly falling on the floor after the lesson. The professional dancers were phenomenal – one day I want to dance with as much energy, confidence, and commitment as they do. They basically just threw themselves around the dance floor violently and somehow made it look graceful and beautiful. The drumming was cool too. We just learned simple beats. But I have always wanted to learn to play an African drum.

I also went to a salsa lesson where my entry fee was donated to the Haiti relief effort. Cuban salsa is huge in Senegal. There are tons of salsa clubs and I definitely want to practice the basic skills I know. It’s interesting how connected Senegal seems to Haiti. I didn’t expect that I would hear much about it here. But there are many references to it. There was a walk to raise awareness about Haiti and collect donations. The salsa event raised money for the relief efforts. The president has opened his borders to Haitians that would like to come to Senegal (don’t ask me how he thinks they’re going to get here). Also, the president tried to create a law that would take three days worth of citizens’ pay to donate to the Haiti cause. It didn’t pass in Congress because of the people’s opposition to it. But it is a radical and interesting idea. However, knowing President Wade, it’s doubtful that all of the money would have gone to Haiti.

We also went to this art gallery of professional Senegalese artists who have showed throughout the world. One of them had a huge wall piece using everyday items to artistically connote hardship and dignity that was an homage to Haiti. And this Sunday there is an all day Haiti cultural event to raise awareness: a film about Haiti, a speaker, more salsa, and Haitian food. Next week there is a telethon for Haiti and a concert with the biggest Senegalese musicians.

It took me a while to realize why the Senegalese care so much about Haiti’s plight and why they feel so connected to the Haitian people. Haiti is a country almost made entirely of former slaves. It is likely that many of those slaves came from Senegal as Senegal’s history is rife with violent slave dealings. The president’s offer of refuge in Senegal for Haitians implied that Haitians could return to their natural homeland. It’s interesting, to say the least.

Anyway, here’s an unpdate on all of the exciting things I’ve done since being here!