Everyday in Senegal is a lesson in
a culture so varied from that of the United States, but this week especially I
acquired a hefty amount of cultural lessons, skills and even souvenirs.
On Thursday
I had to refresh my memory of my one-year of drumming lessons from the first
grade as my friend Cara and I began our first of four weekly traditional
Senegalese drumming classes. After
meeting a man named Yussu outside of our local internet café we were led up to
Monument in Ouakam where from behind a stall that normally sells tourist items
our instructor John Pierre emerged with a Senegalese Jambé (drum) for each of
us. So there we sat, right next to the
Monument and learnt the three basic rhythms of Senegalese drumming at
twilight. It was very picturesque if I
do say so myself. Not to mention the
fact that Cara and I can’t wait for our chance to jump in on the next random
beach-drumming circle we see and join in with what we know. I fully expect to utilize the Senegalese
drumming talent I acquire over the next four classes as a party trick upon my
return, just provide me with a jambé.
After my
wonderful drum lesson on Thursday my friends and I ventured to the French
Institute in Centre-Ville Dakar to see a play.
I was very excited about the idea of being able to watch theatre in
Dakar and in French especially.
Interestingly enough I proceeded to observe the most bizarre piece of
theatre I have ever seen involving dancing with oranges, pictures of fish,
alcoholic visions, multiple very troubled characters and just overall confusion
on our part. My host family tried to
convince me when I came home that I probably didn’t understand enough of the
French, but I assured them it was not a language miscommunication. Needless to say, my friends and I laughed
hysterically for about 20 minutes afterwards about our unusual theatre experience.
This
weekend we took an excursion to the coastal village of Toubab Dialow. It was nice to get out of Dakar and see a
different side of this diverse country.
Driving along the scenery resembled my mind’s idea of African landscape
but in the case of Senegal there are more Baobab trees, which have become not
only my new favorite fauna but a beloved symbol of Senegalese culture as
well. At Toubab Dialow we stayed in what
can best be described as The Shire of Africa, very Tolkien-esque buildings
built into the cliffs of the village.
The Hotel
Beautiful Mosque built into the hillside
At the hotel we had the chance to
partake in Batik dying. Batik, a form of
fabric dying with wax, is popular all around the world but especially in West
Africa. We each created our own Batik
pattern and now I have a beautiful cultural souvenir to brighten up my room a
little bit. At night we witnessed the
most incredible dance show I have seen.
The Senegalese dancers are quite literally possessed by the rhythm of
the drums and needless to say I have never seen anybody move that quickly while
maintaining the beat. The dancers pulled
us up to join, but in our attempt to keep up with their movements it turned
into more of a free-form dance party, which I didn’t hate.
This weekend a small group of us are venturing about 65 km
outside of Dakar to go on a Safari Inshallah (God Willing)!
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