And so, for outsiders, Africa today tends to conjure up images of nonstop civil wars, impoverished people, diabolical dictators, rampant disease, and seemingly endless despair. To be sure, it's a generalization, but it is nevertheless based on reality in some places. But then there's Senegal.
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— Debbie Nevins, Elizabeth Berg, and Ruth Wan, Senegal, Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC (2018), p. 6 [1]
The gracefulness of the slender fishing boats that glided into the harbor in Dakar was equaled only by the elegance of the Senegalese women who sailed through the city in flowing robes and turbaned heads. I wandered through the nearby marketplace, intoxicated by the exotic spices and perfumes. The Senegalese are a handsome people and I enjoyed the brief time that Oliver and I spent in their country. The society showed how disparate elements-- French, Islamic, and African-- can mingle to create a unique and distinctive culture.
It has long been thought that the Senegal and the Niger were the same river,; and they were indifferently called by each name. Several ancient and modern authors have maintained this opinion; and others have controverted it. But the discoveries of Mungo Park have irrevocably decided the point; as this traveller has found, that the Senegal and the Niger are two different rivers whose course in opposite; the former running in a western, and the latter in an eastern direction.
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— Jean Baptiste Léonard Durand, A Voyage to Senegal: Or, Historical, Philosophical, and Political Memoirs, Relative to the Discoveries, Establishments and Commerce of Europeans in the Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Blanco to the River of Sierra Leone. To which is Added an Account of a Journey from Isle St. Louis to Galam. R. Phillips (1806), p. 121, [4]
According to Madeleine Albright, Senegal is a beacon of light for other African countries. Senegal is "a beacon" that can "show the way" to free elections and a democratic way of life in other sub-Saharan countries...
First, Senegal has been ranked by some authorities as the leading democracy in the Islamic world since 2000. The country has been brilliantly written about by anthropologists and historians, but many of Senegal's experiences and creations have not been sufficiently incorporated into modern democratization theory.
One favorite, the beautiful Senegal Roller, has turquoise wings and breast, a burnished copper back, and long turquoise tail scalloped with deep purple.
Dakar — The United Nations says Senegal leads Africa in combating AIDS on the continent and is one of only three nations worldwide to successfully contain the pandemic.
Although he may only have come to the attention of white audiences when he started recording with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush and Neneh Cherry in the 1980s, N'Dour was a star in his native Dakar from the age of 12. Fusing traditional Senegalese pop or mbalax, with his own distinctive style, the Grammy-winning singer has become a beacon for West African musical culture - which embraces musicians like fellow Senegalese Baaba Maal or Malian guitarist Afel Bocoum.
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— On the subject of African pride and its gift to the world including people like Youssou N'Dour, Jonathan Brown and Jerome Taylor from The Independent reports., —The Independent : Pride of a continent: Africa's gifts to the world (21 September 2006). By Jonathan Brown and Jerome Taylor [8] (Retrieved 13 July 2019)
Senegalese beauty Khoudia Diop calls herself the "MelaninGoddess" on account of her breathtakingly dark skin tone - and what a goddess she is!
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— Khoudia Diop [in] Essence Magazine by Nikki Brown (2017) [in] Female First by Holly Mosley (2018), Senegalese model Khoudia Diop on self-love and beauty standards [in] Essence Magazine : Model Khoudia Diop aka 'Melanin Goddess' Has Some Very Good Advice For Her Younger Self by Nikki Brown (24 March 2017)–([9] Retrieved 13 July 2019) [in] Female First: True beauty: 13 models who are beacons for diversity by Holly Mosley (6 November 2018)–([10] Retrieved 13 July 2019)
