Dakar, Senegal

akar in Senegal, aspiring to modernity, but these new beginnings sprout from dirt and litter of third world chaos. Of course, we drive past an impressive Presidential Palace left from French Colonial times, embassies in tree-lined streets and overlooking the sea, Catholic churches and mosques, but there’s no hiding the ravages of underdevelopment that we encounter in a few hours.

Guard at Presidential Palace in Dakar, Senegal

lighting from the bus to visit a market under the trees by the sea, my nostrils are accosted by a smell so putrid, I can hardly breathe. With Edmundo telling me to be quiet as I sound like a tourist, I take a proffered handwipe cloth and cover my nose. The local guide dismisses the odour as ‘fishmarkets’ but it can only be sewers. And the beach nearby is piled with hundreds of fishing boats. A public health hazard surely!

Monument de la Renaissance Africaine - a 49m tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside of Dakar, Senegal. It is the tallest in the world

Michael and Edmundo - The colour of Africa reflected in an urban mural outside the market, by the sea in Dakar, Senegal

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