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Social Profile
Food & Drink: Senegalese food is considered among the best in Africa. The basis of many dishes is chicken or fish, but the distinctive taste is due to ingredients not found outside Africa. This food is served in many restaurants in Dakar. Provincial rest houses serve less sophisticated but delicious variations. Dishes include chicken au yassa (chicken with lemon, pimento and onions), tiebou dienne (rice and fish), dem à la St Louis (stuffed mullet), maffe (chicken or mutton in peanut sauce) and accras (a kind of fritter). Suckling pig is popular in the Casamance region.
There are bars in some hotels and clubs. Although Senegal is predominantly a Muslim country, alcohol is available. The traditional drink is mint tea, the first cup drunk slightly bitter, the second with more sugar and the third very sweet. The Casamance drink is palm wine, which is drunk either fresh or fermented. Toufam (a kind of yoghurt thinned with sugared water) is served in Toucouleur villages. A unique drink is home-roasted coffee with pimento.
Nightlife: There are several nightclubs and music venues in Dakar, playing ‘mbalakh’ (the local modern music), as well as a casino on the route to N’Gor. There are many cinemas showing the latest French films. The Daniel Sorano National Theatre in the Boulevard de la Republique is a popular venue for theatre, concerts and other arts performances.
Shopping: Bargaining is customary. At Soumbe-dionne, on the Corniche de Fann, is a craft village where the visitor can watch craftsmen at work and buy their handicrafts. Purchases include woodcarving in the form of African gaming boards, masks and statues; musical instruments; and metalwork, including copper pendants, bowls and statuettes. Most markets and centres sell traditional fabric, embroidery and costume, pottery, necklaces of clay beads and costume jewellery of wood or various seeds. Shopping hours: Generally Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1430-1800. Some shops open Sunday morning, others are closed Monday.
Special Events: Traditional Senegalese festivals are held throughout the year including a Fashion Show and National Festival of Arts in Dakar and the Saint Louis Jazz Festival (held in April/May). For more information, contact the Ministère de la Culture, du Tourisme et des Loisirs (see Contact Addresses section).
Social Conventions: Greetings are appropriate when coming across local people, especially in the bush, and the visitor should make the effort to learn these in one of the local languages. Handshaking on meeting, regardless of how many times a day one meets the person, is normal. When visiting a village, it is polite to call upon the village headman or schoolteacher to explain that you want to spend the night there or visit the area. They will often act as interpreter and will be helpful guides to the customs of the village and also in terms of money, ensuring that a traveller does not find himself in the embarrassing position of paying for hospitality that was given in friendship. Return hospitality with a gift of medicines, food or money for the community. It is not advisable to give money indiscriminately as tourists have encouraged the practice of begging. Casual wear is widely acceptable. Scanty swimwear should be reserved for the beach. Smoking is prohibited in some public places (especially mosques). Tipping: A service charge of ten to 15 per cent is included in all hotel and restaurant bills. Taxi drivers are not normally given a tip.
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