“Bienvenue au Sénégal”
When seeing a new country rise up from under the clouds, excitement and trepidation are sometimes hard to tell apart - especially when exposed to the unfamiliar. My destination: Senegal, home to the westernmost point on the African continent and a rapidly growing nation long heralded as a relatively stable role model of democratic pluralism within west Africa. The aim: to spend two weeks plunging into a different culture and way of life, and to make a small but hopefully meaningful contribution to the work of a local charity (more detailed explanation below).
Having negotiated a festive few hours on the arrivals floor of the newly constructed Dakar Blaise-Diagne international airport, a three hour car journey into the heartland of Senegal brought me to the town of Louga, historically a cattle market centre that is now reinventing itself as a city of culture and tourism. There I met my host for the next two weeks.
Marème Thiam, founder of the organisation Centre des Arts et Cultures Africains, has spent almost her entire life working for the public benefit and plying her trade as an artist and designer. After spending 18 years in Canada running an art gallery and cultural space showcasing her own creations (which even got a visit from Justin Trudeau!), in 2021 she returned to Senegal to continue her work closer to home. Now, under the umbrella of the ANDO Group, she leads an organization working towards the economic empowerment of vulnerable and disadvantaged young women, many of whom were abused or neglected as children and would otherwise be homeless and in crippling poverty. This involves hands-on instruction in a diverse range of trades and skills, including culinary arts, traditional weaving, carpentry, masonry, and construction techniques. In recognition of the growing importance of technology in today’s economy, the program has also expanded to include modern competencies such as digital marketing, basic IT, and online entrepreneurship. These skill sets are integrated into broader life-skills and employability training, enabling participants to become self-reliant and generate sustainable incomes.
In addition to this, construction of a new “cultural centre” in the heart of Louga is ongoing. When complete, it will include an office space, restaurant, workshops, galleries, and even some guestrooms. Funding constraints mean completion may be some years away, but each section - lighting, masonry, flooring, etc. is slowly but surely being added. When I visited the construction site this morning, the first two floors were finished but construction on the fourth had not even started. In all, though, it promises to be an important part of the local community and will help facilitate future cultural exchanges.
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The new cultural centre under construction
For now, though, the next two weeks promise to be exciting. Working with the team from ANDO, I’ll be in the former capital of Saint-Louis working on the main project: helping to design a brand-new website for the Centre des Arts et Cultures Africains, allowing them to make the most of the new digital era, as well as increasing their visibility on an international scale. I’ll also be back in Louga, visiting the classrooms and workshops being used by students, learning about their artisanal methods and making the most of my time in this vibrant west African nation.
More to come (with more photos, I promise)…
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