Concerts

We've been going to a lot of concerts since we've been here. Some traditional, some reggae, and some unique mixes and styles. The first concert we went to was at the French Cultural Center in the city. The band was made up of a bunch of brothers who also go to the University Gaston Berger.

The second concert we went to was at a restaurant/bar on the island of Saint Louis. Unfortunately this was also the day that the taxis were on strike. The university is about a 15 minute drive from the city, so walking all the way is not usually an option and would take hours. Stella, Bachir, our friend Moïse, and I walked to the exit of the university not knowing how we would get into town, and were lucky enough to see a coach bus parked at the gate. The driver was nice enough to drive us as far as he was going, at which point we got out and started walking in the dark. Not only were the taxis on strike, but all vehicles were, so every car that passed--which was not many-- was already packed with people. We even tried to catch a ride on a family's donkey cart with no luck. Eventually a car stopped for us and took us all the way into the city, where the streets were deserted because of the strike. Everyone who was in the city was watching Senegal's game vs. Equatorial Guinea in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, so we joined the crowd and ate dinner at a local fast-food sandwich shop while watching the game. The last few minutes were really exciting, and after every good or bad play you could hear cheers or yells in all directions from the other stores and restaurants on the street. Unfortunately, Senegal ended up losing and was out of the tournament.
The concert ended up being my favorite by far, and after it was over, we went to get something to eat and then started walking back across the empty bridge, hoping for a ride, which eventually came and dropped us off right outside our dorms.

A few weekends ago was le Festival National des Arts et de la Culture (FESNAC) in Saint Louis. We went to the opening ceremony, where each region of Senegal was represented kind of like in the Olympics, and then we went to a concert right next to the market before the bridge to the island. Although the concert was scheduled for 9, it didn't get going until midnight, and even then it took 45 minutes for the band to set up, then play one song and get their equipment off stage. This happened two more times, but is pretty normal, so we had a good time. The music at this concert was more traditional and varied depending on the region the band was from.

We also went to a concert at the French Cultural Center by BOGOSTYLE, a reggae singer, and his band.

Our friend Bachir has also been having concerts for his slam poetry at high schools around Saint Louis.