Palabres Sans Frontieres

Destination: Senegal

  • Official Language: French
  • Other Languages: Diola, Malinke, Pular, Serere, Soninke, Wolof
  • Capital: Dakar
  • Total Area: 196 723km
  • Population:  13 711 957 inhabitants
  • Head of state: MackySall, President of the Republic
  • Form of government: Republic
  • Independence: April 4 1960 (End of French Colonisation)
  • Religion (s): Islam (94%), Christianity (4%), Animism (2%)

Senegal, officially known as the Republic of Senegal, is a west African country in Sub-Saharan Africa. It shares land borders with the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Mauritania in the north and in the east, Mali in the east and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in the south. The climate is tropical and dry and there are two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

Senegal is a member of the international community and equally a member of the African union and the community of the Sahel-Saharan states

A Presentation of the host village: Keur Samba Yacine

The village

Keur Samba Yacine is a village that is mainly involved in farming and has a population of 500 inhabitants, it is 7km from the ocean, 70km from Dakar which is in between the Sahel and the coast. This very dynamic village organizes cultural programmes and activities that promote education, health and environment. Farming is the main activity in the village. The village is surrounded by fields that belong to the villagers . The villagers mainly cultivate cabbage, aubergine, cassava, mango, millet etc. There is a village square where one can find a shop, a primary school, a small mosque, a water hole and a medical centre that also serves other neighbouring villages.

Maison du village de Keur Samba Yacine Village de Keur Samba Yacine Femmes transportant des paniers sur la route

  • The guest lodge

The tourists are lodged in huts that have been specially built for them. This ensures that the villagers do not have to give up their rooms (who already live in cramped conditions) for the tourists. Each hut has a  dining room, double rooms with a bed and mosquito nets, toilets and shower cubicles which require the use of buckets (to get water). There is a tap in the yard that provides water (for the Water Closet, Shower, laundry). There is no electricity. Lighting is provided with the use of rechargeable lamps.

Intérieur d'une case d'accueil Case d'accueil du village Chambre d'une case d'accueil

  • Activities

Each tourist is invited to participate in the daily activities of a family throughout the length of stay: lunch, having tea with the family, helping out in the kitchen etc. In addition to these, are the following activities: working on farms, reforestation, Wolof lessons, games for children, cleaning the village, a workshop on dyeing fabrics, a hair weaving workshop, excursions (Goree Island, Thies Township, a day out at Mboro beach), etc.

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  • Wolof

The villagers speak wolof. Some adults among them have a good understanding of French. The children start learning French in primary school. It is usually the teenagers and young adults that act as interpreters in families where the older ones speak only wolof.

  • A presentation of the welcome team

The village has:

A management committee that is in charge of making sure that funds generated from fair tourism are used in executing projects that are beneficial to everybody.

A women’s group that takes care of the organic vegetable garden, the poultry, the workshop room and prepares dinner for the tourists.

Diamono association which represents the youth group of the village.Diamono association plays a very important role as the village youths accompany the tourists within and outside the village. They have dinner with tourists every evening and are at their disposal to answer any questions they have.

Diabolo asso