Sénégal : Du désert aux forêts tropicales : un voyage aux confins de l’Afrique | Documentaire AMP

Sénégal : Du désert aux forêts tropicales : un voyage aux confins de l’Afrique | Documentaire AMP

At the westernmost point of the African continent, Senegal offers a true mosaic of
landscapes and populations. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, it is desert in the north and tropical
in the south. Land of the Wolof, the Fulani herders, the Diola, the Serer and many others, this
country is discovered through the rivers that crisscross its territory, shape its landscapes and
set the rhythm of life in the villages that line them. Senegal has made its diversity an asset,
without sinking into the conflicts that have plagued many of its neighbors. It offers the visitor
a multitude of faces as varied as its regions and will never cease to captivate them with the
richness of its landscapes and traditions. The royal road to Senegal is
undoubtedly Saint Louis and its unique setting as a former colonial capital
founded by the French in 1659. It is in this pleasant city
that the history of the country began. Although Saint Louis was born as an island at
the mouth of the magnificent Senegal River, its most vibrant part is
located on the Langue de Barbarie, this sandbar that unfolds between
the waters of the river and those of the ocean. This is the territory of the fishermen and
the port of Get’n dar is their neighborhood. In the morning, with the arrival of the pirogues,
some of which have gone fishing in Gambia, there is an excitement like nowhere else. It is one of the most important ports in West Africa; activity there is
constant until nightfall. The porters are constantly running to empty their crates into refrigerated trucks ready to
leave for Dakar; they are paid per unit. More than 25,000 people live on
this narrow strip of land. On the seaward side, the coast is subjected to repeated storm assaults
and suffers from rising water levels. Two years ago the sea destroyed
schools and houses, I think it’s clearly the rising
waters, every year it advances, before we used to play football way
down there, every year it advances a little more. The main street of this
fishing village has already been flooded, a warning that risks forcing the
authorities to move thousands of people. Here the houses are often too small, the galloping population growth has
caused the population to explode , so all life has moved into the street:
people wash, cook and eat on the sidewalk. Even the sheep try to find
something to eat there before ending up at the bottom of the pot themselves…. Linked to the mainland by the iconic
Faidherbe bridge, the Island of Saint Louis is its historical center. Its
colonial architecture constitutes such a unique historical heritage on the
continent that the city is one of the 6 African cities listed as
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is a haven of calm that will charm
visitors with its lovely homes. Saint Louis was an important stopover
during the heroic era of the airmail service, and the post office hotel where
Mermoz stayed recalls the exploits of these pioneers of commercial aviation who
took off from here for South America. The first city built by
French colonizers in West Africa in the 17th century, Saint Louis has occupied a
central place in the country’s history. Its cathedral, built in 1827, is the
oldest in West Africa. At its peak, Saint-Louis was
the capital of Senegal but also of French West Africa, a
region as vast as the European Union, and which included, among others, Sudan, which became
Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast,…. In the streets, artists and creators have
taken over some historic residences, such as Rama Diaw, a
very popular fashion designer. She gives a contemporary expression to fabrics and colors
deeply rooted in the culture of the country. Saint Louis, my city, is renowned
as the capital of elegance, a Saint Louis tradition, the art of dressing,
but I don’t remain confined to traditions. I work with the colorful fabrics that have
shaped us, but I adapt them to the spirit of the times, to modernity. Here you see
very modern cuts that everyone can wear, Europeans as well as Senegalese.
I also work with Wax, the colorful fabrics, as I was saying, that my mother wore, my
grandmother, and all, and also traditional weaves. So yes, that’s my foundation, that’s my
culture. I want to be open to the whole world. In Saint Louis, the music scene is very
rich, and every year the city beats to the rhythm of its jazz festival, an
unmissable international event for enthusiasts who gather in bars and
clubs, like here with the group. Takeifa. The heart of the event remains the Main Stage in the city centre where
big names in Jazz can be found every year. The strips of land between the
Senegal River and the Atlantic Ocean stretch for several tens of
kilometers. They will probably disappear in the coming years
due to rising sea levels. Towards the village of N’dieben, salt production continues to be carried out by
families and in a traditional manner. In the past, the Bou El Mogdad transported
men and goods on the Senegal River, from St Louis to the north of the country, to the
border of Mali or Mauritania. It is a legendary ship that compensated for the lack
of rail and road transport and was therefore vital for the population. The wear and tear of time has taken its toll on
the one affectionately known as Bou. But in recent years, Bou El Mogdad has been
revived thanks to the passion of Jacques Bancal, to the great delight of tourists. Its
familiar silhouette once again glides through the waters of the river. 10 0907 The boat was built
in the 1950s in the Netherlands but specially designed to
navigate the Senegal River. It was commissioned and designed to navigate
the Senegal River, it has a flat bottom so in case of problems we can always
beach it somewhere there are no problems. The main difficulty here is
that it does not always follow the logic of a bend in the river,
it is generally on the outside of a bend that there is depth,
here in 80% of cases it is on the inside. Former colonial administrative center Richard
Toll is a traditional stop on the Bou El Mogdad. There you will find “Baron Roger’s folly
“, a dwelling that is a vestige of a bygone era. A diversion canal from the Senegal River
made it possible to irrigate large areas for the cultivation of sugarcane, which remains
one of the region’s important resources. The Fulani tribes are settled further
north in these semi-desert lands where they live in clans. Here in Gallodjina the chief
is Mamadou Ba, he is 61 years old and has 3 wives. Half of his family has already left for the south,
anticipating the approaching rainy season. Fulani women practice
indigo tattooing of the lips and gums, as well as the palms
of the hands and feet. Mamadou Ba waits for the temperature to drop
and the sun to set before starting to milk his herd. At the end of April,
temperatures exceeded 40°. Since 2007, the lives of these families have changed
thanks to the Berger dairy, which collects milk twice a day. It is the only
Senegalese company that processes fresh milk. Previously, surpluses from the
trade were thrown into the sand. Souleiman Ba ​​was one of these breeders;
he manages the collection throughout the region. The village chief has a very large herd, he has more than 500 cows but today he
has left some cows here for the dairy, and then his children go to school
thanks to the dairy, everything has changed. Heading back south, about
forty kilometers from Dakar, Lake Rose is intriguing. It owes much of
its worldwide fame to the Paris-Dakar car rally, of which it was the finish line.
At first glance, it looks like a shallow lagoon, surrounded by dunes.
But on closer observation, the day and evening lights transform
the color of its waters, which then pass through all shades of pink and mauve.
What is less well known is that the lake supports more than 2,000 people, thanks to
the salt harvested by more than 800 canoes. The men, in the water up to their chests and their
bodies coated with shea butter to protect their skin from the salinity, break
the salt crusts on the bottom of the lake with a stake, before scooping it up with a shovel to fill their canoes.
The women will unload them and pile the salt on the banks so that it dries and
whitens in the sun before being taken away. Dakar, the country’s capital, is a
feverish city, overflowing with life and creativity. If it could, it would undoubtedly nibble away at
its beaches to reclaim land from the sea and extend its
cacophonous procession of teeming markets, noisy traffic, and exuberant nightlife ever further. But its
limits are immutable: a sandy coast to the west and a narrow strait to the east linking
the Cape Verde peninsula to the mainland. It is this long cornice that goes around it.
While there are some interesting historical buildings and monuments in Dakar, it is in the
streets, shops, stalls, art galleries and especially in the markets that you can
truly feel the pulse of the city. The Kermel market blends the
two: a historic place dating back to 1860, bustling with constant activity. Independence Square in the city center
is another symbolic location. It was here that in 1958 General de Gaulle endorsed the independence of the
country and of Francophone Africa in a famous speech. The artisans’ market is a
place of artistic expression where musicians, sculptors and painters mingle. Abdulade Sy works with teak, a precious wood whose fibers lend themselves
well to the carving of small figurines. Right next door, El Hadj Dierry is working with a
much more complicated material: the famous ebony wood.  Is this a wood that is harder than others?
Yes, it’s the best wood, it’s a kind of ivory,
and the two colors are natural then?
Yes, you see how wood is made? That’s a hippopotamus, and there’s a small buffalo. Painters
readily reproduce scenes of agricultural life. This is my return from the fields, with
beige and brown as the dominant colors. People are working; the women
here are selling milk, her too, and her too. Here are men,
shepherds; there are sheep in the rice fields. The women there
are going to prepare food for the children. This painting is a little different because
I added wedding scenes. There are also some havens of peace in Dakar
where it is good to recharge, like in N’Gor, which is first and foremost a fishing village. Early in the morning,
the crews meet there to embark for a day at sea. On the mainland, the
beach regularly transforms into a training site on weekends. People come here
alone or in groups to do gymnastics, run or even learn to swim.
The days invariably end with energetic football matches, one of the
country’s most popular sports, where no one forgets the national team’s feat in the 2002 World Cup
against the reigning French champions. In the northern district of Yoff, this
colorful house, known as the Sphinx, is the last residence where Ousmane
Sow lived. This sculptor, a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, who passed away in December 2016,
exhibited his giant works all over the world. His children have just turned it into an extraordinary museum
, bringing together these colossal figures handcrafted from burlap mixed with
earth, pigments, and synthetic straw. It was only recently unveiled to the public, but for as
long as I can remember, I always saw him sculpting. Of course, we lived in
Paris, and the sculptures were scaled to the size of our apartment; it was
difficult to fit a 2.70m tall man into 50 square meters. What motivated him first and foremost was
sculpting peoples who were on the verge of extinction. I don’t think he was
a sculptor inspired by daily life; I see a sequence of life… no,
that wasn’t what motivated him. In the Hall of Great Men, alongside
Nelson Mandela and General de Gaulle, Ousmane Saw’s father occupies a prominent place;
it’s for his daughter. The reference work: Undoubtedly it is that of
his father who was the man who was his guide throughout his life who sculpted it
and which today is part of the series of great men which is in the
main room and which will bear the name of his father. It tells his story, it tells of his childhood, of the bonds which united them and which were
extremely strong. It was quite surprising to see this 80-year-old man speak
of his father with so much emotion. Still north of the city, the
fish market of Yoff Tenghor is a spectacle in itself depending on the time of the tides.
There, one witnesses a veritable ballet of canoes. Barely on the sand, the fishermen are
besieged by women who buy the contents of the nets and resell them immediately. It is the
most popular market in the entire city. It only lasts two hours a day but
offers a magnificent variety of products. The port of Dakar is the 3rd largest in the region, but beyond its activity, it is from here that
one embarks to go to the island of Gorée. Located some 30 minutes by ferry off the coast
of the capital, the island of Gorée is bathed in an almost disturbing tranquility… no doubt
because its history was not always peaceful. This trading post was a
hub of slavery during the time of the Slave Trade. This idyllic island, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains marked by this stain, and the dark dungeons of the “House of
Slaves” recall the weight of history. Historical studies show that the
House of Slaves, built around 1780, played only a minor role in the
slave trade. With its dungeons where 15 to 20 people could be crammed together
before their departure for the Americas, it remains nonetheless one
of the strong symbols of this infamy. The island was occupied by the English from
1804 to 1817 and then returned to France. The abolition of slavery was not
definitive in France until 1848. Further south after M’Bour, the coastline of the Petite Côte is cut by the mouth of the
Saloum. It is a river, 250 km long, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean
after forming a delta with the Sine. Joal marks the beginning of the Sine Saloum with, at
the end of the city, the island of Fadiouth, also known as the island of shells,
is one of the most beautiful in the country.   It is accessed via a pedestrian bridge, which
gives it unparalleled tranquility. On the main street, Tening Tin sells Lalo, a baobab leaf powder
used in sauces. Sometimes I climb the tree to
get the leaves, or I use a stick with a hook to collect the
leaves, dry them, and pound them in a sheltered corner of the mangrove.
The villagers used to store their grains in these small
hut-shaped silos on stilts; today they are replaced by
plastic bags in a corner of the house. Another unique feature of Fadiouth
is its cemetery located on another island. Due to lack of space, the cemetery
is shared by Christians and Muslims. A few Baobabs
virtually separate the 2 parts. Nearby, Fadial is one of the
country’s highlights since it houses the largest Baobab in Senegal, one of its emblems.
It is estimated to be 850 years old and 32 meters in circumference. The baobab was once a burial place for
griots, drummers, who were mummified and then transferred inside the trunk.
A practice abandoned since the 1960s. About forty kilometers from Fadiouth in
the delta, Mar Lodj is one of the largest islands. The cart is the most convenient mode of transport
for getting around between villages. The church was built by
a Swiss missionary who had dedicated his life to the place, Father René Thalman.
The most emblematic place is this sacred wood, with an imposing kapok tree, a ronier and a
mahogany tree whose trunks intertwine, a symbol, say the wise, of the understanding between the three religions practiced on the island:
Islam, Christianity and animism. Before the arrival of the mobile phone, people
communicated between villages with this drum. Even though it is no longer in use, the demonstration remains
discreet in order to avoid alerting the population. Life here remains rudimentary: millet and peanuts are grown , and fishing
also provides additional resources. On another part of the island,
tourism is slowly beginning to appear. In Nanga Campoma, the women of the village
have organized themselves to improve their living conditions. Today they are preparing millet couscous
called Thiéré together and making jams. It’s millet and corn prepared with the machine,
then you add water and do it like that. Sifted several times, the couscous will then be used
to accompany fish or meat. Ami, for his part, finishes the mango jam. You make mango jam for your
family and also to sell to those who cannot make it.
At the end of the day, we take out the calabashes for a little moment of relaxation. At nightfall, it’s time to
head towards the village of Keur Dédaign for a Senegalese wrestling tournament.
It is no longer known whether wrestling or football is the most popular sport in the
country, what is clear is that even in the depths of Sine Saloum, wrestlers
and spectators flock in large numbers. The spectacle begins well before the start of the
matches, the wrestlers, decked out with fetishes, charms, and all kinds of potions,
begin a ceremony overseen by marabouts. They hope to weaken
their opponent and ward off bad luck. Some arrive with dozens
of bottles filled with potions with which they liberally sprinkle themselves.
Songs and drums are essential; the captivating rhythm is part of the ceremony. The beginning of the fights has
similarities with Japanese Sumo; there is a long observation period, and the first one
to throw their opponent onto their back or make them fall onto their four
feet wins the round. The loser usually makes a big deal out of it,
pretending not to understand what is happening to him. The Sine Saloum delta is also a vast
ornithological reserve whose richness and diversity of ecosystems have led to its classification as a
World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.   A few years ago, this natural heritage
was dying, suffocated by overfishing. A vast marine park project was then put in place
to preserve this formidable ecosystem, involving the 14 villages of this territory. A
long-term project that is beginning to bear fruit. We also take care of the mangrove, which
has suffered greatly from deforestation, as the mangrove trees are massively used as
fuel for cooking. The mangrove has been replanted in several places and
it is now forbidden to cut green wood. Pelicans, cranes, egrets, herons have
made it their territory which also serves as a wintering ground
for migratory birds. The delta with its bolongs, these channels bordered
by mangroves, lives to the rhythm of the tides. Salt is one of the country’s important resources
. The technique used involves digging large holes and then allowing the
brackish water to evaporate gradually. When the level has dropped sufficiently, the women come to
collect the salt like here in Palmertie Falcao, yes It irritates the legs, you have to
be careful and rinse off. For the water to appear full of
salt, it takes about a month. As the rainy season approaches
, they will leave the village, the whole area becoming
impassable for harvesting salt. In the delta, Wanguié is said to
be an island within an island. The village lives largely from the collection
of molluscs, shellfish, but especially oysters. They multiply
naturally at the foot of the mangroves. We cook the oysters and
then dry them, but we can also eat them
simply cooked with a sauce. We sell a large part of them to
merchants who come to buy them from us. The women of the village spend long
hours preparing what the merchants will come to collect by canoe at the end of the day. When the work is finished, we gladly celebrate the return of a family member who
had been away in town for several weeks. A little further along on Djanda Island,
wood collection is now monitored; only dead wood can be brought back and the
use of machetes is out of the question. The village is renowned for its
shipyard where these famous pirogues used by fishermen are built
in sometimes very complicated swell conditions. The craftsmen have a
good eye and everything is done by estimation. We are now at the southernmost point
of Senegal in Casamance, in Ziguinchor. Separated from the rest of the country by Gambia,
Casamance has suffered from the political unrest that has plagued it for several years. It
remains, however, one of the most beautiful regions in the country. Its dense and lush landscapes,
fertile lands, multiple waterways and its still intact Diola culture give
this territory a special atmosphere. The fishermen’s beach is undoubtedly
less lively than the country’s major ports, but every day their return is awaited
by both the women ready to scale and sell the fish and the birds on the lookout for
anything that might fall from the canoes. Today, monkfish are the stars. Facing the quay, you can find all the ingredients that will accompany these
fish: chili peppers, onions, vegetables. At the end of the beach, women are opening oysters in impressive quantities. Here
they are most often eaten fried. The market located in the center is quite
spectacular. The density of vegetable and fruit vendors increases
as one approaches the covered buildings. Outside, a little apart, these
craftsmen work in peace and quiet. They make charms according to
the instructions of the fetish priests. We enclose in these leather strips
feathers, shells, animal skins At the edge of the village, under the first
cashew trees, the tree which, besides the nuts, gives cashew apples, Noelle Niouky
had the idea of ​​taking an interest in the apple under which is found the famous and precious
almond. In general, farmers neglect it despite its sweet taste. She had the idea of
collecting them, pressing them, and making juice. The press is entirely
artisanal but very efficient; a well-placed hydraulic jack and liters of
tasty juice will flow all morning. With the fruit you can make the juice
you saw, you can make wine, 100% natural juice like orange juice, you can also make other products
with apples instead of throwing them away, everything you can do with wheat flour
you can do with cashew apples. Apart from cashew nuts and their juice, the workshop is full of other specialties
such as Tamarind juice, Ditakh juice, and banana chips. Its operation is
regularly cited as an example in the country. The Casamance River, like the Saloun, creates
a delta, with its bolongs (tidal creeks) and mangroves that multiply as one
approaches the sea. Between Ziguinchor and Oussouyé, the island of Eloubaline is home to a
rather unique Diola village. The huts are much larger than in the rest of the
country and house 4 to 5 families. The other distinctive feature is the
impluvium houses which collect rainwater in their center. The framework is structured in such a
way that the entire central part ends in a cone which will allow the collection of
a very precious liquid here: water. The frame will then be
covered with rice straw. When the rain falls, the water pours
inside and this water will be used for drinking. In an adjoining room, the rice granary is well protected from both the sun and
the humidity during the rainy season. These traditional loincloths are dyed with
the bark of Bassékété, a tree from the delta. The village has 40 huts and 600 inhabitants. Water is a daily concern,
especially during the dry season. This large reservoir, originally designed to
collect drinking water, has been contaminated by seepage and what is drawn from it is
used only for washing or laundry. Drinking water comes from another reservoir
: it is strictly regulated. Here you have the measurement for one
person, there you have 30 liters per mother of family and 30 liters per father of family. The Diola people of the village are animists. This hut at the arrival of the canoes is a
sacred place surrounded by fetishes. Here, an NGO funded this machine which allows rice to be hulled, and the
time saved is considerable. The future of this village depends
largely on the impact that climate change will have on rainfall
and therefore on water supply. As we approach the Atlantic coast, we
enter the kingdom of Oussouyé, still in Diola country. Its current king, Sibilumbaï
Diedhiou, was enthroned in 2001. He resides in the sacred grove at the entrance to the
commune. Only those in the know can access it, but he regularly
comes out to meet visitors. I am here to wait for the people who come
here for prayers, I am here as a mediator, I am here to save the poor, anyone
who has nothing to eat comes to see me, but we Diola do not give food
to someone during the day, no, it is during the night so that the other
does not know that he has nothing to eat. Here I practice sacrifices for
people but there are several fetishes, this is not a broom to sweep up dirt
no it is my weapon, but it is not made to hurt someone it is to separate stories
for example if I come across 2 big guys who want to throw punches they will
move aside because the small broom is sacred One of his advisors describes the king as an
intermediary with the divine who receives the offerings, prays and intercedes with the spirits.
His days are very busy, in fact. In Edioungo, a few hundred meters from the
sacred grove, Evelyne Bassene uses the surrounding earth to make kitchen utensils,
pots of different sizes and jugs that the farmers bring into the fields to drink from.
She is part of the same family as the king. We will have about 72
hours of drying in the shade, in the middle of winter it takes 3
weeks because we have 80% humidity. We have to cook them, after
cooking there is the varnish. It is based on an edible fruit
, it is called the Kayor apple, it has been macerated in water for 3 days. These jugs are used for water for
field work because the water stays cool so when we need to buy my products
and it is too expensive and we do not have money, sometimes we barter we give
a container which must be filled 2 or 3 times with peanuts, rice or beans. On the coast Elinkine is a rather particular fishing port
. It is used mainly by Ghanaians who primarily fish for sharks,
something the Senegalese refuse to do. They thus fuel a discredited trade in
shark fins which are resold at exorbitant prices in Asia. While Guinea-Bissau has banned shark fishing
in its waters, it remains for Senegal, as well as for end consumers,
to become aware of this massacre. Cap Skiiring is a village located at the end
of Casamance; in the 1960s it was a holiday destination for those who resided
in Ziguinchor, about 70 kilometers away. Today, while tourism is redeveloping,
fishing has never stopped. The waters are particularly
rich, and beyond the barracuda, red snapper and other jacks,
which are already of respectable sizes, some Tarpon catches
can reach 80 kilos. We are still in Diola territory,
a proud people who have always resisted foreign domination and distinguished themselves
by their fierce opposition to slavery. Further south, a short distance from the border
with Guinea-Bissau, the beaches stretch for kilometers. At the beginning of May, before the arrival of the
first rains, the Gakinem festival is celebrated, the circumcision ceremony of young
boys. They are dressed in traditional loincloths. The village of Essyl, between Cap Skiiting
and Ziguinchor, is fortunate to still possess beautiful forests, each
clan occupies a small part of them. Before access to the great circumcision
when they are older, there is a prior initiation which
consists of a large ceremony, all the members of the family
gather with the children. The essential part of the ceremony
consists of a sacrifice of chicken by the marabout of the village in front of
the mothers and their children. On the other side of the village, food is being
prepared and cooked in large containers for
about a hundred people. The dancing will continue
throughout the afternoon, with each member of the family
invited to perform a few steps. It is with these festivities that this
journey to Senegal, which has led us from one surprise to another, comes to an end. Beautiful and proud, Senegal, although poor in natural resources, is
rich in humanity and has been able to make the most of its diversity and history. In this
respect, he is truly a Sage of Africa.

Aux confins de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, un voyage au cœur d’un pays de sagesse et de diversité. ✋Les plus belles destinations, c’est ici 👉 https://bit.ly/2Vlfz9o 👈 Abonnez vous ! 🙏

00:00 – Introduction : Le Sénégal, terre de contrastes
03:12 – Le désert du nord : le souffle du Sahel
10:45 – Les fleuves du sud : source de vie et d’union
18:30 – Peuples et traditions : Wolofs, Peuls, Diolas, Sérères
26:15 – Musiques et rituels : l’âme du Sénégal
33:40 – Le Sénégal moderne : entre héritage et avenir
42:10 – Conclusion : la sagesse d’une nation

A l’extrémité ouest du continent africain, le Sénégal est une véritable mosaïque de paysages et de peuples.

Bordé par l’Océan Atlantique, il est désertique au nord et tropical au sud. Terre des Wolofs, des pasteurs Peuls, des Diolas, des Sérères et bien d’autres peuples encore, ce pays se découvre par les fleuves qui sillonnent son territoire, façonnent ses paysages et rythment la vie des villages qui les bordent.

Le Sénégal a fait de sa diversité un atout.

À découvrir sur Voyage du Bout du Monde
Cap-Vert : comment un peuple est-il né du métissage ? https://youtu.be/PEUDOFnH5qw
Botswana, un paradis africain entre déserts, deltas et traditions https://youtu.be/Mb1CqrFkM9U
Bénin, Mali, Madagascar : la vie autour des marchés https://youtu.be/ku7jBrs2FP4

“SENEGAL, LE SAGE DE L’AFRIQUE”
Un film d’Eric Bacos
Droits réservés

#Sénégal #DocumentaireDécouverte #VoyagesDuBoutDuMonde #Afrique #CultureAfricaine #Exploration #Traditions #Sagesse