Finally, all this heat has paid off!

The spike in temperature with the rainy season has resulted in the most fantastic sunsets this past week in Dakar, Senegal

The sun setting over the Atlantic Ocean - The Corniche in Dakar

The sun setting over Dakar's Grand Mosque

Couldn't resist another shot of the colors behind the mosque!

The last remnants of light over the Plateau area of Dakar

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A Call to Prayer in Les Almadies

As Ramadan nears nears its end, a man prays in Les Almadies, Dakar, Senegal

Iles de la Madeleine and the coast of Dakar

The Corniche and Mermoz - Dakar

The mural at the underpass at the Monument of the African Renaissance

A mosque being built in Les Almadies

In Senegal, mosques begin their calls to prayer regardless if the mosque is not completed 

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The Canal Road

Shoe shopping on the Canal Rd in Dakar, Senegal

The canal

Furniture for sale, for repair...for storage? It's a bit unclear, but furniture like this lines the Canal Rd.

The Canal Rd.

Drying laundry

Life on the Canal Rd.

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Soumbédioune

Two boys at Soumbédioune, Dakar, Senegal
It's hard not to take a photo when they pose so proudly!

In desperate need of rain


This past week is the first real rain in Dakar this rainy season.

How different Soumbédioune looks during the driest weeks before the rain

Soumbédioune

a boy leaving Soumbédioune down the Canal Rd

I couldn't resist a second version of the previous photo;
different boy leaving Soumbédioune towards the Supreme Court (in background)

I was trying to take a photo of the bench, but when this guy came back to pose, a photo was necessary!

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The Lighthouse & Senegalese Hip Hop!

Leaving Dakar, Senegal's lighthouse


The lighthouse


Friends leaving the lighthouse




Stopped by the Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar to experience some Senegalese hip-hop
This is Bideew Bou Bess--They won Youssou N'Dour's music competition
And started performing in this hoods with their logo on their lower back



The performed in Wolof, Arabic, French, some occasional English, and some languages I didn't recognize


Which caused my friend and me some confusion during this number as the men in animal masks jumped and danced around during a spoken word piece.
We suspect it was a folk tale..but who knows!

Here's one of their songs with some fantastic imagery around Senegal:



Here's another video with a different sound but from a local music channel:




check out Bideew Bou Bess's website!

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Babacar's Recycled Art -- Tin Can Style!

Recycled Art: Tin can art by Babacar and his brothers


Even the trucks are loaded up ridiculously high--just like the actual ones on the road
that I find myself saying a prayer every time I pass that they won't topple over on me


Amazingly creative, isn't it?  Especially when you realize that it was once soda cans


I admit: I have a fanta, coca-cola, and a tomato can tray


recycling at its finest: nothing is wasted
that kettle on the floor can be found in every Senegalese household


Santa Claus!  Behind him is a sous-verre painting
(Or Senegalese glass painting)


Babacar came from Mali and opened up a little studio near Soumbédioune
He's been so successful supplying boutiques around Dakar that
he's just opened up this little shop next door
I suspect my patronage over the years has played a part :)


car rapides, VW Beetles, scooters, planes!

15 December 2013 update:
I've just learned that Babacar has his own website showcasing his lovely art.
Check it out here!
It even has photos of his new studio, completed just prior to my departure from Dakar.
(Thanks, Matthias, for letting me know!)

18 July 2012 update:
Babacar's been featured on a segment by the BBC!
So excited that this hidden gem of Dakar is getting his due--
Check his interview out here.

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Train station in Dakar? Yes! Trains that actually use it? Skeptical...

The train station in Dakar, Senegal

Hanging out at the station.  The train has tracks to Bamako, Mali.

I'm told trains run between the two...I'll believe it when I actually see it.

a man selling peanuts and small groceries near the station

A close up of the station's beautiful mosaics

women street vendors

look closely, you'll see everything from mangos to papayas to palm oil to peanuts to cashews

and this man is a perfect example of how tall the Senegalese are

Playing fusball at the station.  Everywhere I've been in Senegal--

major cities, small villages, huts in the middle of absolutely nowhere--has had a fusball table.

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Philip Monteiro!!

Philip Monteiro at the Institut Français Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, Senegal

He has a very island, West African vibe to his music

these women performed an amazing combination of mbalax and belly dancing

He opened with an absolutely fantastic cover of the Black Eyed Peas' Tonight's Going to be a Good Night

I didn't film the cover, but here's a quick taste of his music:

and here's a better quality one that has a full song:

check out Philip Monteiro's website

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Notre-Dame des Victoires de Dakar

The confessionals and Stations of the Cross in Notre-Dame des Victoires de Dakar

[Our Lady of Victories] - Plateau, Dakar, Senegal

The dome

The Baptismal Font

It is Dakar's Cathedral and also known as La Cathédrale du Souvenir Africain de Dakar

[Cathedral of African Remembrance]

2011 marks its 75th anniversary

After Sunday Mass

A close up of the unusual painting on the Dome

A close of up the facade's statues.  

It reads "To the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus the Savior"

For more information on the Cathedral

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