Welcome to Senegal

Welcome to Dakar, Senegal, a modern African metropolis. The people of Senegal are proud of their modern capital city. This bustling, cosmopolitan city features skyscrapers and hotels, businesses and boutiques. Beaches and windsurfing centers are just a few miles from its mosques and markets.

The Senegelese people are 90% Muslim but nearly everyone celebrates the biggest Muslim holiday of the year, the feast of sacrifice, known as "Tabaski." It commemorates Abraham's willingness to obey Allah and sacrifice his son, as told in the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book. To remember Abraham's offering, every family sacrifices a sheep on Tabaski morning. The rest of the day is spent in prayer and celebration.

The Senegalese have a strong tradition of hospitality. If you visit a family you will always be offered something. A favorite beverage is green China tea with mint, prepared and drunk in a special way, known as ataya (ah-TA-ya)--a tea ceremony. Water in the teapot is heated on a portable brazier.

An example of a Senegalese meal, cheb, is based on fish.

It also contains red rice mixed with chunks of okra, cassava, and yam. As shown in this picture, individual plates are not used. Everyone eats from the same platter to show how they've all come together to enjoy each other's company.