In 2019, I travelled so much for work that Southwest Airlines gave me a Companion Pass. I chose Kaitlin to fly free with me. Kaitlin invited Andrea along and we visited Salt Lake City. The first morning Kaitlin posted a great TicToc of the many dogs we saw at an art festival. That evening we went to a food truck event where Andrea chose sushi, Kaitlin chose ramen, and I was thrilled to find Balabe Senegalese Cuisine! This was seven months before I started this blog, but I had already been collecting worldwide resources for two years and this was the first experience with Senegal I had found.
I had grilled fish (delicious!), sambusas (they put an onion sauce over them, so they were wet), tomato curry over couscous (which was so good, but I saved it for breakfast because it was a lot of food), and a generous serving of plantains, which Kaitlin and Andrea helped me eat.
Three years later (just two months ago), on my way to see Mom and Dad, I stopped in the Mission district in San Francisco to eat at Bissap Baobab. The Afro Tacos looked great, but to be as authentically Senegalese as I could, I ordered the dibi (combo) with yassa (marinated onion sauce), akara (Senegal black-eyed pea “tofu”), and fufu (made with plantain and yucca flowers). The fufu was smoother and more sticky than I have had before. For dessert, I ordered the tiakri which has quinoa, yogurt, agave and diced baobab fruit sprinkled on top. The baobab fruit was a little crunchy and a little tangy – maybe like a green mango? I liked it! If I return, I will try the mafe (onion, tomato, and spices in peanut sauce) or the riz au cari (red curry sauce with vegetables). The salads and appetizers also look great!
When I arrived at Bissap Baobab, it was early and I easily found a table. By the time I left, it was clear that this is a popular Friday night spot. They were setting up for music and the place was packed.
To learn more about Senegalese food, I checked Yolele! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal by Pierre Thiam out of the San Bernardino County Library. I love reading cookbooks! Expect lots of seafood, fritters, black eyed peas, mangos, ginger, and other ingredients that inspired Caribbean and African American food. Make sure and get to the author's story at the end of the book and watch his excellent Ted Talk on an ancient grain of Africa: https://www.ted.com/talks/pierre_thiam_a_forgotten_ancient_grain_that_could_help_africa_prosper?language=en
Another inspiring Senegalese is Sadio Mané. I first learned about him from a LinkedIn post that introduced him as a soccer star who earns 22 million euros per year but was seen with a cracked iPhone. He responded: “Why would I want 10 Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and 2 jet planes? What would that do for the world? I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn't go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools and a stadium; we provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty. I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.” To see more about Mané’s career and watch him on the field, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8h5zrrYBbA
Yes, there is poverty in Senegal. I immersed myself in it in No Heaven for Good Boys by Keisha Bush, based on what the author saw in her four years in that country. But there are also some impressive firsts:
· In 1963, Ousmane Sembène put out the short film Borom Sarret, the first film made in Africa under the direct control of a black person. I loved the beautiful cinematography showing Senegal in that time period and the meaningful story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U59BefqjjtE
· In 1966, Senegal hosted the first World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar. This documentary about it shows a little of Senegal, some dancing and music, and a lot of great art: https://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/document-5104
· In 2001, Joseph Gaï Ramaka directed a remake of the opera Carmen called Karmen Gei presenting the first African Carmen. Bizet's score has been replaced with Senegalese music. Some claim this is the first African musical. I watched it on Kanopy.
For more recent literature and movies from Senegal, check:
· “An Ordinary Monday Morning” by Boubacar Boris Diop: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/article/2022-06/an-ordinary-monday-morning-boubacar-boris-diop-el-hadji-moustapha-diop-bojana-coulibaly/
· “The Belly of the Atlantic” by Fatou Diome: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/article/2005-02/from-the-belly-of-the-atlantic/
· Atlantics on Netflix
The Dakar Fashion Week provided some of my favorites of the online resources. In 2020, they took the event outside and created their catwalk among the baobab trees. This first video is a documentary on how they put it together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTbXIQyn8Ps&t=206s and the second one is the fashion from 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H63BVIgSwBg
There are so many kinds of music coming out of Senegal. I selected something traditional as well as three popular musicians:
· Malick Pathe Sow and Bao Sissoko performing traditional Senegalese music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0kp88txzH8
· A popular song by Coumba Gawlo Seck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnAbVSfaWKY
· A full concert by Youssou N'Dour : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOdim5d61a4
· Another full concert, this one by Baaba Maal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M4sGKifBHo
If you are planning a trip to Senegal, you might catch the Youth Summer Olympics in 2026 https://olympics.com/ioc/youth-olympic-games or visit any of these other great places: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-senegal/. I would love to go! I look forward to that time when we can travel broadly again. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in Senegal and throughout the world.
Art credit: Papa Ibra Tall https://kadist.org/people/papa-ibra-tall/
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