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EveryParampara

Traditions of Dakar

A west African capital of music and wrestling, the home of thieboudienne and the Magal of Touba.

Dakar sits on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa. Wolof culture shapes the city: a deep code of hospitality, teranga, music of the mbalax, and traditional wrestling, laamb, which is as popular as football. Griots, hereditary singers and historians, keep the memory of families.

Dakar: La place de l'Indépendance à Dakar (Sénégal). En arrière-plan le port et Gorée.
Photo: mostroneddo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Teranga and the wrestling ring

Teranga is the pride in welcoming guests. At a laamb match, wrestlers perform a dance with songs and drums, protected by charms, before the bout. Griots sing at weddings and baptisms, and the kora, a 21-string harp lute, is their instrument. Religious festivals such as the Magal of Touba, with millions of pilgrims, mark the Mouride calendar.

At the table

Thieboudienne, fish and rice cooked in a tomato sauce with vegetables, is the national dish and is eaten from a shared bowl. Yassa, chicken or fish in onion and lemon, and mafe, a peanut stew, are served with rice. Bissap, hibiscus juice, and ginger drinks are served to guests. Attaya, three rounds of green tea, is offered to visitors.

Signature traditions of Dakar

Senegalese wrestlingThe Laamb.GriotThe hereditary storyteller.Grand Magal of ToubaThe Mouride pilgrimage.

Also part of it, and being written: Thieboudienne (The national dish.), Teranga (Senegalese hospitality.).

A trail idea for Dakar

  1. Soumbédioune fish market Watch boats land at dusk.
  2. Gorée Island Take the ferry.
  3. African Renaissance Monument See the statue.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindSpiritualFestivalRite of passageTable customSeasonalDressPerformanceEtiquetteCraftGameFolkloreHomeCeremony
MealBreakfastLunchDinnerSupperTea-time and snacking customsTea, coffee and drinking ceremoniesSweets given and sharedFeasts and festival mealsFasting and breaking the fast

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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