Toubakouta Day 5/6 (last day)
- Annika Graber
- Feb 21, 2022
- 2 min read
Written February 19th, 2022
Friday we focused on environmental sustainability. We started off the day touring the mangroves. We took a pirouge (a long fishing boat). The Delta of Saloum is one of the most biodiverse areas in west Africa because of the mangroves. The mangroves play an essential role in sustaining the community. The wood is used for housing and cooking. The roots allow oysters to grow. Because of the diversity, many tourists also visit the area which sustains the economy. Since the late 1900s, Senegal has experienced a long drought. The river is connected to the sea, so saltwater flows into it. Without freshwater rain, the river is becoming saltier. Conservation of the mangroves is essential so even young soccer groups are rewarded for reforesting les pepinieres.
Photos from the boat
Our boat started getting a lot of water so Avery started bailing us out. The boat driver didn't seem too concerned so I wasn't totally freaking out, but the ride back everyone was on edge.
On our way back to shore we stopped at seashell island to hike to the top.
On our way up we climbed a baobab tree.
After lunch we walked into town with one of the university students who lives there. I made friends with the leathermaker and found a really cute shop that grows and makes its own products so I bought lots of bissap (hibiscus) products.
After supper we went to a traditional lutte (wrestling match). The whole community came out to watch as well. It was not all what I was expecting. The wrestlers walked around the circle while two wrestled in the middle. The wrestlers were dressed with gris-gris (charms around their ankles, arms, and waists). They also poured water all over their bodies which was to give energy. When someone won a match, dancers would do a little dance. It was so cool to see how the dancers communicate with the dancers.
There was a chant going the entire time. It took me about an hour to figure out that it was actually two women singing into a microphone. They did not get tired at all!
Right before the last match, Professor Sene invited a dancer from another village to dance for everyone. He was a big hit.
The routine continued for a while until the last match. It was pretty quick but a clear winner was declared. Then somehow I got roped into presenting an award to the winner… I had no idea what was going on as clearly depicted by this picture.
This morning we worked on posters presenting our topic. After a synthesis of the week, we left the hotel. Somehow the ride back was way more packed. We stopped for lunch and had to pretty much fully unload the bus. We got back to Dakar around 6:30 pm and have the rest of the weekend to recover.
Comments