TODAY’S CLASSIC TUNE: Baaba Maal - Naange Afrik
For those of you, like myself, who can’t get enough of Maal’s infectuous sounds, watch a full concert of the Senegalese singer and guitarist performing songs spanning his 20+ years as a musician live as part of the Guardian’s series A Room for London – Artangel’s boat installation perched on top of the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s south bank.
Senegal, St Louis
Western Africa.@Iseedifferent
Senegal, Dakar
Western Africa
Senegal’s Moussa Konate celebrates during a football game with Great Britain on July 26, 2012. Senegal fought hard, and as a result, the teams drew 1-1.
SENEGAL
I dare you. tell me she not pretty! Tell me she’s not elegant! tell me she’s not Gracefull!! I dare u! I’ll curse u so hard! TRY ME!
The Sunburn King: My Favorite Things 4 →
Ataaya
I know I’ve written about ataaya tea nights at Cameron’s before, but ataaya is such a cool part of Senegalese culture.
It’s a hugely social activity centered around brewing a couple rounds of sugar water flavored with tea. There is a supposed progression of sweet tea, to sweeter tea, to…
The Internet is your friend! My cousins and I order big bags of attaya online and make last a while. It’s so much better than hoping that someone coming to the States for furlough or moving here has space for a couple of small chevelle boxes.
sweet Jesus I miss attaya. There is something about over sweetened tea and the process of making it that the people of Senegal and Gambia have turned into a freaking art form.
(Source: thesunburnking)
TODAY’S CLASSIC TUNE: Youssou N’Dour feat. Neneh Cherry
Although he is currently Senegal’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, legendary Dakar-born singer Youssou N’Dour is most well-known for his adaptation of the traditional mbalax sound and his modern-day griot status.
With a career spanning over 40 years, N’Dour is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated African musicians in history and has released almost 30 albums.
Despite his international success, 7 Seconds is his only commercially successful and charting single in both the US and several European countries.
The song is trilingual with N’Dour singing in both Wolof and French, and Cherry in English.
#Senegal: Voters Return to the Polls on Sunday →
Senegalese voters return to the polls on Sunday for the second round of voting in the presidential election, after campaigning closes at midnight on Friday night.
The run-off, which became necessary when the first round produced no clear-cut winner, pits incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade against opposition leader Macky Sall. A 100-strong observer mission of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), led by Togolese Prime Mimister Koffi Sama, is already in the country.
The mission is made up of Ecowas ambassadors to Nigeria and Senegal, Ecowas parliamentarians, experts on judicial and electoral matters - including those who have received training from the Koffi Annan Peace Institute in Ghana, and electoral chiefs of west African countries.
Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who heads the African Union (AU) mission, expressed optimism to the press on Thursday over the success of the elections on the basis of preparations on the ground.
“Senegal has become a great democracy,” he said “and they will once again show proof of that in the second round. They will become a model for other African countries.” Obasanjo said he was seeking meetings with both candidates. He further stressed that the AU and Ecowas will be neutral. He called for support for the process by everyone, especially the press, which he believed played a major role in the first round.
Report compiled from AllAfrica’s French coverage by Michael Tantoh.