The Football King
How do you make sure the power doesn't go out at that little party you're planning on Saturday? Look to see if there is a soccer game on TV that night. If so, you can be sure that Senelec (the national electricity company) won't try to cut the power... The only problem is that you might not have many people at your party, because they'll all be watching! Soccer in Senegal is not a sport, it's love! Among the boys, of course, but also among the girls. Everyone wears the jersey of the Lions of Teranga, the national team. But also of Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille, Juventus of Turin or FC Barcelona! Moreover, in the street, everyone sells them. But soccer in Senegal, are we talking about it or playing it? Well, both! There is not a kid who doesn't go and play on a field, or even play ball on the road after school.
In terms of results, the Lions made their mark at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. They defeated reigning world champions France in the opening match and advanced to the quarterfinals. Led by French coach Bruno Metsu, the fantastic striker El-Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao and Khalilou Fadiga, the Senegalese will forever be on the map of world soccer. After several years of inactivity, Senegal will have to wait until the 2018 World Cup to be invited back into the final table of a World Cup. If they will not pass the group stage, the Lions have confirmed their return to the forefront, thanks to the superstar striker of Liverpool Sadio Mané, winner of the Champions League. A renaissance confirmed a year later, when Aliou Cissé's protégés reached for the second time in their history (after 2002) the final of the African Cup of Nations, before being crowned African champions, by winning the final of the CAN 2022 against Egypt.
Traditional activities
Senegalese wrestling. Having absolutely nothing to do with Greco-Roman wrestling or freestyle wrestling, it is a mixture of traditions and culture, all spiced up by a physical confrontation, most of the time quite fast. It is a whole ceremonial that precedes the fight, the latter being only the outcome of a festive day, the opponents dressed in a colored loincloth fight, not only for themselves, but also for the whole region, even for an ethnic group. The preliminaries are punctuated by the tom-toms of the griots who accompany poems called baks. Without earning as much money as the best paid Western athletes, the big names of Senegalese wrestling have a more comfortable lifestyle than most of their colleagues of equal value in other disciplines.
Water jousting. Sea, rivers, mangroves and lakes... Senegal is full of ideal places for water sports. As a result, there is not a festival without the clans, flanked by sticks, compete for hegemony, right on their boats.
Awale. This game is part of the mancala family. Awale is played by two players around a rectangular wooden board with twelve holes. At the beginning of the game, each player has 24 seeds in six holes. Then, the players have to sow the seeds one by one by drawing from their holes. The catches are made in the boxes that contain only one or two seeds. The goal is to collect as many seeds as possible. The further east you go, the more you can see the elders playing awale under the palaver tree.
On the water, activities in chaos
With its 700 km of coastline, from Saint-Louis in the far north to Cap Skirring in the far south, Senegal offers a wide range of water sports: sailing, diving, surfing, water skiing, canoeing, towed buoys and more.
You can surf or bodyboard in Dakar. The best spots are on the Petite Côte and the Cape Verde peninsula (Pointe des Almadies, Ngor). The swell isn't there every day, and it's best to get up early so that the waves don't suffer too much from the wind (glacis). Boards can be rented near Les Almadies or at Le Virage beach. There are several surf clubs, the most highly recommended of which is Surfer Paradise on the Corniche des Almadies, run by Oumar, a Dakar native who spent 14 years in Biarritz as a professional surfer, and who offers very attractive rates and good equipment.
Fans of jet-skiing, water-skiing, wakeboarding or sailing sports (windsurfing and catamarans in particular) should head for the touristy Petite Côte (Saly-Portudal, Nianing, Mbour, etc.) and the Casamance seaside resort of Cap Skirring.
A very reputable fishing destination
Senegal is one of the most popular fishing destinations in the world. But here, we don't tease the gudgeon. You don't have to be lightly equipped to go to sea. It is the diversity of aquatic environments that makes the variety of fish species: the cold waters of the Grande Côte, the volcanic rocky bottoms of the Cape Verde peninsula, the warm waters of Casamance, the bolongs of Sine-Saloum... Sharks, jacks, red carp, marlin, swordfish, tuna, sea bass, barracuda, groupers, captains, etc., are present in great numbers. Three types of fishing are offered in the Senegalese regions: sea fishing, mangrove fishing and river fishing.
Sea fishing is carried out in Dakar, on the Petite Côte and to a lesser extent in Saint-Louis, in the Sine-Saloum and in Casamance. It is mainly for "big game" that you will fish at sea in Senegal. Several fishing centers with or without accommodation are well equipped to take you, harnessed like a parachutist, to conquer the blue marlin, the shark or the sailfish. In the northern part of the country (from the Petite Côte to Saint-Louis), the differences in water temperature between seasons are very important, unlike in Casamance or Sine-Saloum. Thus, you will have to choose the right time to leave depending on the fish you want to catch. Concerning blue marlin, it is during the peri-winter periods that they are most likely to be caught in Senegalese waters (May-June and October-November). It is common to bring out specimens of 150 kg. For the magnificent sailfish, it is quite the opposite and it is so much the better, because it makes its fishing complementary to that of the marlin. Finally, it is during the rainy season that they abound (from the end of June to the end of September). The most beautiful memories and photos of the open sea will be accompanied by this oceanic D'Artagnan. The rest of the year, and especially the cold season, also brings its share of beautiful catches. With the longline or the trolling you will catch a lot of tuna, groupers, sea trout, jacks, red carp, dolphinfish..
Casting will be ideal in the rocky area of the Cape Verde peninsula and many sea trout will attack your Rapala lure. It is also on these tortuous bottoms littered with wrecks of all kinds that you can practice underwater fishing. Parrotfish, groupers or badèches abound between the rocks.
Mangrove fishing is practiced exclusively in the Sine-Saloum and in Casamance. It is the great specialty of Senegal as this brackish water ecosystem made of islands of mangroves intersected by thousands of mangrove islets is so rare. The species inhabiting these waters are innumerable and varied and, unlike sea fishing, there is no season for mangrove fishing although the density of fish is more important during the rainy season. Your best fights and your most impressive trophies will be, of course, jacks, barracudas and red carps.
Discovering the fauna and flora
Hiking and safari. Those who like to walk will be well served. Everywhere it is possible to walk, walk and walk again... especially since the country is quite flat and the walks will never be very difficult. However, there is a small downside in Bedik and Bassari country, in eastern Senegal, where some hikes require a bit of climbing. And at the end of these walks, there is often a beautiful waterfall, a pretty mangrove, a small friendly camp. Or simply a village to discover.
On the safari side, be careful! People who have already been to the parks of Kenya, Tanzania or South Africa will be very disappointed... There are still some giraffes imported from South Africa - and they seem to like it here, since they have reproduced in a private reserve in Bandia. And the elephants? Since 2015, in the Niokolo Koba National Park, one can only see the traces left by their passage. But by chance and patience, we can observe some lions drinking in the river or in full nap. Otherwise, we will console ourselves with monkeys, antelopes, gazelles, crocodiles, warthogs, hippos and all kinds of big birds visible at will!
Birdwatching. Senegal is a popular land for birdwatching because of its river mouths, bolongs and marigots. More than 650 species have been observed, a third of which are migratory birds coming from Europe or Africa. Birdwatchers and amateurs will be able to indulge their passion in the Djoudj Park, the third largest ornithological reserve in the world, where between December and April, thousands of birds from Western Europe flock. Spectacular! Other places are ideal for birdwatching such as the bolongs of Sine-Saloum, the Somone nature reserve or Basse-Casamance. In general, keep your eyes open around you!
Hunting is practiced in regulated areas and of course with guides. The season is open from mid-December to the end of April. Several animal species and natural areas are obviously protected and forbidden to hunt.
