Getting to Senegal
It is rare to visit a country more than once especially if that country is very far such as Senegal which is about 6000km away from Zambia my homeland. I was travelling to Senegal for the second time after having been there in May 2009. The purpose of my visit was to attend an European Union and African Union Workshop on the Sharing of Experiences on Decent Work in the Informal Economy in Africa. On 29th June at 18 00 hours I landed in Dakar using Kenya Airways after having left Lusaka in Zambia at 00 05 hours. The journey was long. We went to Harare and then headed to Nairobi where we landed at 06 00. We left for Senegal via Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) after a 3 hour delay in Nairobi. The flight from Nairobi to Abidjan took 5 hours while that from Abidjan to Dakar took 31/2 hours. On the flight I sat next to a colleague from Kenya (whom we attended the same Conference in Senegal) and a lady from Cote d’Ivoire. I was able to have a meaningful conversation with her in French due to my having learnt French at secondary school from 1981 to 1985 and at university in 1987. Later I was to find my little knowledge of French useful during my brief stay in Senegal.
Arriving in Senegal
On 30th June 2010 when we arrived in Dakar at the airport, we were picked up by a shuttle bus to our hotel. We were booked at Hotel Pullman Terranga, a very beautiful hotel very close to the Atlantic Ocean. I was booked in a room with a magnificent view of the ocean. Before enjoying the comfort of the hotel bed in sleep, Joseph, a Zambian participant and I went out to have a meal at a restaurant. The meal was very delicious. One thing one can’t go wrong on in Seenegal is food. The Senegalese have great food. They also have healthy eating habits. All the meals at the hotel had fruits served such as fruits such as pawpaw, pineapple and mangoes and natural fruit juices and not the common unhealthy fizzy drinks served in most hotels
Official Opening of Conference
On the second day, after a sumptuous and healthy breakfast, Joseph and I went into town to look for a power cable for my laptop as I had forgotten my power cable. After some enquiries, we eventually found a shop where we bought a power cable. Later, some participants and two Zambian ladies based in Senegal, we went to the main market to buy some Senegalese fabrics and ready made attire for men and women. The Senegalese have very good and smart tailors. We rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the official opening of the workshop. The official opening of the workshop took place in the hotel’s Conference room. Various speakers on various aspects of the Workshop theme and set the scene for the work to be done in the following two days. Workshop participants were drawn from various parts of Africa and Europe. In the evening, we had a cocktail hosted by the Conference organisers at the hotel’s poolside which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. It was a good way to network with Workshop participants. One interesting thing about Senegal is that even at 20 00 hours one it was light and only started getting dark after 21 00 hours. Senegal is 2 hours, like UK and other countries is behind Zambian time. The other things one notices being different is that whilst at the time it was very cold in Zambia, Senegal was very hot!
Sightseeing and Impressions of Senegal
I have written about my impressions of Senegal in an earlier blog. For now let me say that I was impressed by the developments that I saw since my last visit in 2009. Among the new developments that I saw were a number of new apartments that I saw that had been constructed, a new football stadium, a new statue called the Renaissance Statue and generally a number of new buildings. Senegal is one of the four nations in West Africa apart from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria that boasts of good infrastructure development and of impressive economies. I found some time to go to the beach where we waded in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and took photos with a stork bird. Thereafter we had a delicious meal of fish and chips.
While some African nations are walking economically and politically, Senegal can be said to be running at a very fast pace. At personal level the Senegalese are friendly and hospitable. They take a keen interest in visitors and ensure that they feel at home. Senegal is known as the land of Terranga (hospitality). The Senegalese are also very hardworking. They begin the day early and end very late, if at all the day ends. Dakar is a city that one could say hardly sleeps. The streets are generally safe to to walk in at any time. The Senegalese are also renown for their good music said to be among the best in West Africa together with Guinea and Mali. This is attributed to how well musical instruments are played. Some notable musicians are Youssour N’dour (also an actor who featured in ‘Amazing Grace’ movie) and Omar Pene.
Returning to Zambia
I left Senegal on Sunday 4th July, after having attended a church service at the International Baptist Church in Dakar. This is a church with over 20 different nationalities. The services are held in English, though recently translation into French has started so as to reach out to the locals in Senegal. I left Senegal having made new friends at a personal level and also having made professional networks. Senegal is a nation one would love to return to! One can’t seem to get enough of it! Senegal has an area of 196,722 sq km and population of 12.5 million (UN, 2009).
The return journey to Zambia started with departure from Dakar at on Sunday 4th July at 16 00 to Nairobi where we arrived the following day at 05 30 via Bamako in Mali. In Nairobi, I had a stopover of over 12 hours, as I had planned to do some business in Nairobi. It was good being in Nairobi after 3 years. Nairobi like Dakar is one of my favourite cities in Africa. I left Nairobi for Lusaka at 21 30 aboard a Kenya Airways flight.
It is rare to visit a country more than once especially if that country is very far such as Senegal which is about 6000km away from Zambia my homeland. I was travelling to Senegal for the second time after having been there in May 2009. The purpose of my visit was to attend an European Union and African Union Workshop on the Sharing of Experiences on Decent Work in the Informal Economy in Africa. On 29th June at 18 00 hours I landed in Dakar using Kenya Airways after having left Lusaka in Zambia at 00 05 hours. The journey was long. We went to Harare and then headed to Nairobi where we landed at 06 00. We left for Senegal via Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) after a 3 hour delay in Nairobi. The flight from Nairobi to Abidjan took 5 hours while that from Abidjan to Dakar took 31/2 hours. On the flight I sat next to a colleague from Kenya (whom we attended the same Conference in Senegal) and a lady from Cote d’Ivoire. I was able to have a meaningful conversation with her in French due to my having learnt French at secondary school from 1981 to 1985 and at university in 1987. Later I was to find my little knowledge of French useful during my brief stay in Senegal.
Gabriel with Ibharim next to Atlantic Ocean
Arriving in Senegal
On 30th June 2010 when we arrived in Dakar at the airport, we were picked up by a shuttle bus to our hotel. We were booked at Hotel Pullman Terranga, a very beautiful hotel very close to the Atlantic Ocean. I was booked in a room with a magnificent view of the ocean. Before enjoying the comfort of the hotel bed in sleep, Joseph, a Zambian participant and I went out to have a meal at a restaurant. The meal was very delicious. One thing one can’t go wrong on in Seenegal is food. The Senegalese have great food. They also have healthy eating habits. All the meals at the hotel had fruits served such as fruits such as pawpaw, pineapple and mangoes and natural fruit juices and not the common unhealthy fizzy drinks served in most hotels
Official Opening of Conference
On the second day, after a sumptuous and healthy breakfast, Joseph and I went into town to look for a power cable for my laptop as I had forgotten my power cable. After some enquiries, we eventually found a shop where we bought a power cable. Later, some participants and two Zambian ladies based in Senegal, we went to the main market to buy some Senegalese fabrics and ready made attire for men and women. The Senegalese have very good and smart tailors. We rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the official opening of the workshop. The official opening of the workshop took place in the hotel’s Conference room. Various speakers on various aspects of the Workshop theme and set the scene for the work to be done in the following two days. Workshop participants were drawn from various parts of Africa and Europe. In the evening, we had a cocktail hosted by the Conference organisers at the hotel’s poolside which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. It was a good way to network with Workshop participants. One interesting thing about Senegal is that even at 20 00 hours one it was light and only started getting dark after 21 00 hours. Senegal is 2 hours, like UK and other countries is behind Zambian time. The other things one notices being different is that whilst at the time it was very cold in Zambia, Senegal was very hot!
New stadium under construction
Sightseeing and Impressions of Senegal
I have written about my impressions of Senegal in an earlier blog. For now let me say that I was impressed by the developments that I saw since my last visit in 2009. Among the new developments that I saw were a number of new apartments that I saw that had been constructed, a new football stadium, a new statue called the Renaissance Statue and generally a number of new buildings. Senegal is one of the four nations in West Africa apart from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria that boasts of good infrastructure development and of impressive economies. I found some time to go to the beach where we waded in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and took photos with a stork bird. Thereafter we had a delicious meal of fish and chips.
Gabriel at the beach
While some African nations are walking economically and politically, Senegal can be said to be running at a very fast pace. At personal level the Senegalese are friendly and hospitable. They take a keen interest in visitors and ensure that they feel at home. Senegal is known as the land of Terranga (hospitality). The Senegalese are also very hardworking. They begin the day early and end very late, if at all the day ends. Dakar is a city that one could say hardly sleeps. The streets are generally safe to to walk in at any time. The Senegalese are also renown for their good music said to be among the best in West Africa together with Guinea and Mali. This is attributed to how well musical instruments are played. Some notable musicians are Youssour N’dour (also an actor who featured in ‘Amazing Grace’ movie) and Omar Pene.
Returning to Zambia
I left Senegal on Sunday 4th July, after having attended a church service at the International Baptist Church in Dakar. This is a church with over 20 different nationalities. The services are held in English, though recently translation into French has started so as to reach out to the locals in Senegal. I left Senegal having made new friends at a personal level and also having made professional networks. Senegal is a nation one would love to return to! One can’t seem to get enough of it! Senegal has an area of 196,722 sq km and population of 12.5 million (UN, 2009).
The return journey to Zambia started with departure from Dakar at on Sunday 4th July at 16 00 to Nairobi where we arrived the following day at 05 30 via Bamako in Mali. In Nairobi, I had a stopover of over 12 hours, as I had planned to do some business in Nairobi. It was good being in Nairobi after 3 years. Nairobi like Dakar is one of my favourite cities in Africa. I left Nairobi for Lusaka at 21 30 aboard a Kenya Airways flight.
Statue of Renaissance in Dakar
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