< Previous90 Dakar is in many ways the gateway to Africa. It juts into the Atlantic, hemmed by water on three sides. The furthest westerly point on the continent, it is closer to Lisbon than Cape Town. The first thing that strikes you is the teranga. The Wolof word loosely translates as ‘hospitality’, but in practice it’s a stand-in for an entire culture and goes beyond the smiles and “ça va!” on the streets. It’s teranga when the surfer you shared a break with insists you join them for a bissap juice at Plage des Mamelles, or when bartering for wax fabrics at the market ends in tea with the vendor. For years, Dakar’s reputation has transmitted quietly through the travel ether. It started with the surfers, who loved it for its breaks; the music fans, reeled in by Mbalax and the mighty Youssou N’dour; the fashion world, drawn by the vibrant fabrics; and, always, historians of the slave trade. As a main departure point of enslaved people, Senegal carries four centuries of traumatic history in its collective cells. Many descendants of the diaspora have returned to be culturally and spiritually enriched, and to enrich. Many other passers-through fall so hard they never leave. This is most obvious in the city’s arts scene, where arrivistes have taken up with locals to create exciting projects in what is becoming one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most dynamic hubs. Large- scale projects such as Black Rock, the artists’ residence opened by American portraitist Kehinde Wiley three years ago in Yoff Virage, and Dak’Art, Africa’s largest biennale, have put Senegal firmly on the map. But Dakar’s true creative edge is innate. Public buses, known as car rapides, wear streaks of red and yellow. The flowing boubous of the women are brilliant in oranges, purples and greens. As the Dakar biennale launches this month, we introduce a cohort of creatives and entrepreneurs writing the city’s next chapter. JAKIYA BROWN THIAW Previous pages, clockwise from top left: the coast at Almadies; home of artist Abdoulaye Diallo; musician Aida Sock; bags at Pointe des Almadies market; fashion designer Sarah Diouf; Copacabana Surf Village; art shop in Médina; Il Pappagallo restaurant; instructor at Copacabana Surf Village; street art by Yataal Art collective; Lee Litumbe; fabrics at HLM market This page, clockwise from top right: the Corniche; Aida Sock; shells at La Maree Chez Adji restaurant, Almadies91 ABOUBAKARIM NDAW Through his accessories brand Kakinbow, named for the village where he was raised in neighbouring Guinea, Ndaw exports a touch of West Africa to the world. His Tukkikat bags – touki kat means ‘traveller’ in Wolof – are made with local mudcloth and his ponchos pull in the earthy colours of the region. The world is starting to appreciate Senegalese style, he argues: “Even during the pandemic, more foreigners were heading here to see what’s happening in Dakar fashion, and we are starting to get noticed.” “There’s so much inspiration here and the Senegalese are natural entrepreneurs, even if resources are sometimes limited and we have to get creative. Everything is colourful and loud, and people will even dress up their horses.” “The sound of the mosque in the morning is the sound that defines Dakar for me. When I travel and come home and hear the call to prayer, it’s confirmation that I am back in Dakar.” “For dinner, I head to Club de l’Union or Le Lagon 1. They face Gorée Island, and are filled with a mix of people from all over – Senegalese, Lebanese, French and American – which is pretty typical in Dakar.” “The best way to shop for me is to hop on my moto and cruise around the markets and Médina. I hunt for fabrics at HLM market, then bring them to the tailor’s. I do the same for the bags that I design.” “The most exciting moment was when we won the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament recently. The energy was crazy. We are also looking forward to the arrival of the Youth Olympics, and the NBA training academy is really moving basketball forward here. Things are happening.” @kakinbow THE STYLE CHAMPION AIDA SOCK Senegal’s most famous export may be its music, with modern ambassadors such as Youssou N’dour bringing styles including Mbalax to the international stage. Sock rose to fame on The Voice Afrique Francophone in 2016 and has been evolving the scene ever since, creating a genre she calls SAHH (Soulful Afro Hip Hop), and singing in Wolof, French, English and Spanish. “There are so many diff erent types and styles of music that can be found in diff erent corners of town,” she says. “You can bump into anything.” Her latest album, Salaama, is due to be released later this year. “Coff ee and thiopati, the traditional beignets we make in Senegal, evoke Dakar for me. The combo brings me back to my childhood. We don’t grow coff ee in Senegal, but we have a preparation called café touba, made with ginger, clover, citron and red pepper ground together.” “I grew up in Médina and I consider it the heart of Dakar. Go in the afternoon when the kids are running around everywhere. It’s filled with energy.” “So much live music happens in the restaurants. Some of my favourite spots are Alkimia, the open-air La Cabane du Surfer in Almadies, where I perform, and the Pullman hotel, where I catch [Senegalese singer] Obree Daman and hip-hop duo Daara J.” “I love the HLM and Soumbédioune markets, which have great artisans, and beaches like Ngor, where you can swim all the way to an island off shore.” “The Senegalese are very sports oriented, and visitors are sometimes shocked to see beaches filled with people working out. The Corniche is packed with runners, basketball courts and soccer fields.” @aidasock THE HIP-HOP ARTIST Clockwise from top right: Aboubakarim Ndaw; Nofl aye Beach restaurant92 SARAH DIOUF Born in Paris and raised in the Ivory Coast, Diouf built her career as an executive at brands such as Marc Jacobs in France. She grew up visiting her parents’ native Senegal, and in 2016 moved to Dakar permanently. The city inspired her to launch Tongoro, using the skilled local artisans to make brightly printed dresses that have been worn by stars such as Beyoncé and Alicia Keys. “When I first came, I realised how good the tailors here are. Friends in Paris would take pictures of clothes, and ask me to bring back pieces from places such as Sandaga Market, where I can still spend hours bargaining over traditional wax fabrics, silks and chiff ons. I recognised a business opportunity, and moving here was the best decision of my life.” “It feels like Africa is having its fashion moment. You now see women from Delaware to Oslo wearing the boubou, the West African version of the kaftan dress. In Senegal, we’re celebrating this unique style that’s quite regal, but also an artisanal culture where so much is bespoke, whether jewellery or gowns.” “For dinner, I love the restaurant at Seku Bi, a boutique hotel in an old colonial house in downtown Dakar. The views of the ocean from the dining room are phenomenal. Though when I have friends in town we will head to La Pointe des Almadies. It’s no frills but serves amazing grilled seafood, and they often have drummers and singers. I always get the local thiof fish with fries. Later, I’ll head to Les Mamelles – a lighthouse on top of a hill, where you can dance all night at the bar, feeling like you’re dancing over the whole city.” @dioufsarah THE FASHION DESIGNER93 BABACAR THIAW A childhood in Dakar’s Yoff fishing village helped inspire Thiaw, a former competitive surfer, to dedicate himself to removing plastic from his beloved local beaches. Years of grassroots clean-ups followed, as well as the expansion of Copacabana Surf Village, a groovy beachside hangout made from natural materials including bamboo and local wood, which houses a surf school, lounge and Dakar’s only zero-waste restaurant. Thiaw is the founding member and president of the Senegalese branch of the Surfrider Foundation, a Malibu-based environmental group dedicated to keeping our oceans clean. “The quality of surf in Senegal is on a par with California and Australia but we are so under the radar. Kayar, 36 miles north of Dakar, is a favourite spot – it’s still quite unknown, but has both a reef break and a beach break which produces a really rideable wave. The conditions are best from September to December, and there’s a hostel where you can get great post-surf snacks.” “Yoff is where my heart is. The village is right on the beach, with an island just in front. You can smell the fresh-cooked fish on the sea breeze. As a kid I’d surf its waves on a piece of wood with a crazy smile on my face all day. The area is still a source of joy for me.” “Visitors have to go to the House of Slaves on Gorée Island – a museum and memorial to the Atlantic slave trade. Our past was traumatic but it is important to understand what happened and to appreciate how things are now.” “In the evenings, I’ll head to the restaurant at Noflaye Beach on the Corniche. Unlike a lot of the French and Lebanese restaurants, it’s Senegalese owned and has a really fun local vibe. Afterwards, friends and I will dance to Afrobeats and hip-hop till the small hours at Soleil Café just next door. A lot happens on the sand in Dakar, including outdoor summer concerts at the Monaco and Ngor beaches.” @copacabanasurfvillage THE ENVIRONMENTALIST PAPI WATA This Mali-born multimedia artist and globetrotter, aka L’Artrepreneur, has adopted Dakar as his beloved home. Wata’s projects span from bold portraiture to the fashion label Mwami. He runs the Instagram account Lives, which documents everyday life in Dakar and other African metropolises. This month, it hosts Lives Fest, a pop-up hub at the Dak’Art biennale, with an aim to nurture Dakar’s creative industry. “The colours are beautiful here and there are palettes that don’t exist anywhere else. Two of my past exhibitions were inspired by the teals and oranges of the cloudy, moody, vibrant Senegalese skies. At the end of the year, the sky turns a fiery red.” “At OH Gallery downtown they have big exhibitions from local artists, and sell sketches and smaller works from bigger names to allow young people to start to collect. DM Média for photography is excellent, and the Médina neighbourhood has great street art, which includes the transformation of some artisans’ homes.” “Nio Far by Milcos is a local sneaker maker. The team source mudcloth and indigo in Mali then make and sell the shoes here. You head to their house, have a coff ee and make a purchase. To buy a traditional boubou robe, head to Le Sandaga, my friend’s shop. She is the queen of boubou!” “Catch Kya Loum or Ashs The Best at La Fourchette restaurant. They are singers who collaborate with rappers to create a sound particular to Dakar.” “To eat, head to Le Dagorne. A young Senegalese man took it over a few years back. Think of it as fine dining with the cool kids. I get the carpaccio and plantains. Or I head to Le Bazoff at lunch and ask for the Papi special! It’s fillet with a side of fried plantains.” “Nothing starts before midnight. DJ King Mouss hosts The Bashment party at surf club Copacabana, which goes on all night. La Base is bigger and the venue is always diff erent. The DJs play ElectrAfrique – African electronic music. Then there’s Fool Moon, which is on each week at the [African Renaissance] Monument.” @l.artrepreneur THE ARTIST-ENTREPRENEUR This page, clockwise from top left: Virage Beach; Papi Wata at his home and studio; Babacar Thiaw Facing page: Sarah Diouf in Sandanga Market94 MAMADOU BOYE DIALLO Known by his graf name Modboye, Boye Diallo launched Yataal Art in 2010, inviting artists to paint colonial buildings at risk of destruction in Médina. Yataal Art means ‘expanded art’ in Wolof. Boye Diallo also participates in Dak’Art and hosts art tours through Médina. The neighbourhood was settled in 1914 after the French forced Black Senegalese from the Plateau district. It has been an artistic hub ever since. “Médina is the soul of Dakar,” says Boye Diallo, “and an outdoor museum.” “Of interest beyond Médina, there’s the Musée des Civilisations Noires, which has incredible works. La Galerie Antenna is very important, with bronze and wood masks and sculptures from across West and sub- Saharan Africa. Trames gallery hosts contemporary artist residencies and apéros dînatoires on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.’” “I shop at La Maison du Karité in Medina, which is owned by a couple who make soaps and oils in the traditional way. It’s good to support that kind of know-how and it costs next to nothing. Ousmane Mbaye Design is the project of Ousmane Mbaye, a local artist and furniture designer who is very well known for his work with galvanised metal and emphasis on form. His pieces are genuine works of art.” “After touring Médina, I head across the water to Îles de la Madeleine, which is mostly deserted, so you can bring a picnic. Another swimming spot is Plage des Mamelles, which has good waves and cliff s that the rock climbers love. Set yourself up there at Chez Max, a relaxed thatched beach shack. It’s the best place to hang out in a hammock and eat and drink between swims.” facebook.com/YataalArt THE CURATOR Clockwise from top right: work by Pape Diop, a Médina artist; Mamadou Boye Diallo in Médina; storefront of a soured-milk shop painted by artist Ibrahima95 LEE LITUMBE Through Spirited Pursuit, a lifestyle blog and Instagram account she describes as “a visual daydream”, Litumbe depicts a crisply glamorous side of West African life. In March, she launched her own brand, Eluwa, selling handcrafted homeware. Born in Cameroon but partly raised in the USA, she moved to Dakar in 2016. “I would travel to other places but Dakar always pulled me back: the chaos, ingenuity, the horses on the streets, the fact that women dress like the brightest flowers. The city made me feel creative and reconnected to Africa. I like the version of myself that I am here.” “I love Ngor Island, reached by a boat from Ngor Beach, where you’ll often see locals washing their animals in the water. You leave what feels like a hectic place to cross clear waters to this island with no cars. At its highest point you will see surfers below – where the film The Endless Summer was shot. There is a painter named Abdoulaye Diallo who has a beautiful red home on the island, which he sometimes opens up as a guesthouse.” “Gorée and the slave trade is part of our history, but it goes back further than that. Two or three hours out of the city is a town called Djilor, where the Musée Mahicao is dedicated to pre-slavery times. It is where I first saw a map of Africa that plotted ethnic groups without any of the borders drawn by colonial powers. With its artefacts from a personal collector, it really resonates with me and my family.” “I feel most alive in this city at a market. At Soumbédioune, everything is a one-off – mustard yellow, black and indigo fabrics from Mali, baskets and fans from central Africa. My favourite is a vendor who sells all types of masks, with labels showing the origins and context of every piece.” @spiritedpursuit ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LINDSEY TRAMUTA THE TASTEMAKER Clockwise from top left: Lee Litumbe at the market; Ngor Island; colourful gate on Ngor; baskets at Soumbédioune Market96 Suit STYLIST’S OWN Ring and necklace DIOR 97 Surveying the majestic desert landscapes of the Bedouin camp and camel farm in Wadi Saih al Salam in Dubai that now bear her name, Ursula Musch, fondly known as Uschi, is a long way from the snow- capped mountains, chocolate box dwellings, and lush, verdant surroundings close to Lake Constance in southwestern Germany she used to call home. However, a visit to the UAE in 1988 would change the course of her destiny when she met an Emirati who owned a farm with over 100 camels, and learned how the camels are a significant symbol of local heritage, traditions and culture. The moment she was given a young female camel called Sarab by a prominent Emirati camel breeder, her fate was sealed, and Uschi’s journey to becoming an influential camel breeder in her own right began. Today, not content with tending a herd of 30 camels at her desert farm, she’s now made it her mission to share her knowledge and love of these noble creatures with the world, and five years ago, Camel Uschi was born. So much more than this striking shoot backdrop, Camel Uschi is a love letter to Arabian desert life and precious Bedouin traditions. “I wanted to pass on the Bedouin customs from the UAE to those who don’t have the chance to have an insight into the local family and country life,” reveals Uschi. “And also the practices of cooking on a wood fire.” Feeding time is at 7 am and 4 pm where the camels graze on grass and grain, but there’s no such structure for Uschi. “There is no typical daily routine when you are responsible for animals and people on a farm,” she laughs. “Even the weather can put a damper on our plans.” Despite spending over 20 years in the UAE, Uschi still craves a German breakfast snack or sandwich on the go, without standing on ceremony. If she’s expecting visitors from the UAE government or a public institution, she’ll don a jalabiya or an abaya over her dress. Yet it’s at sunset when Camel Uschi comes to life. Guests are welcomed with tea flavoured with local spices, and begin their authentic Arabian evening with a one-hour on a camel trail to arrive at a Beit Sha’ar, a Bedouin handwoven goat-hair tent, furnished with locally crafted cushions and carpets. Once at their destination, visitors enjoy a traditional Bedouin feast beneath the stars, with chicken, goat, and camel meat and vegetables cooked on an open fire, or as madfoun or mandi in hot embers buried under the sand. It’s served with freshly baked bread, finished off with an Arabic coffee ceremony as a sign of generosity. Now dubbed Dubai’s Camel Queen, Uschi credits her success to her respect for animals, her love of nature, her creativity and sensitivity, and most of all her fighting spirit that she admits helps her manage the many challenges Camel Uschi brings among which she cites as maintenance, weather, sandstorms, heat, sun and sometimes heavy rain. “I always tell people to visit with their heart and mind to learn more about UAE culture and traditions,” she remarks. And her greatest reward? “When you feel the peace of the desert among the camels, you’ll forget about everyday life.” kameluschi.com MODEL: T AMSIN A T MMG MODELS WITH S ALEEM, HAMAID AND OB AID HAIR AND MAKEUP AND WITH THANK S T O: TINA FISCHB A CH SHO T ON L O C A TION A T : 98989898989898988989898989898989989898989889898889989898989898989898989888989988988888989898888999898889899888898898999989899889889998898988999888888 Hat JANESSA LEONE, Suit and belt STYLIST’S OWN99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999Next >