DAKAR, SENEGAL — Crashing cranes and bulldozers, tons of concrete and pipes as you walk through the streets show where Dakar is going and what it lacks. The atmosphere is not completely chaotic. But it’s quietly chaotic.
As Senegal’s capital Dakar has undergone a transformation, it has emerged as the fashion center of Sub-Saharan Africa. Dakar Fashion Week, his three-day showcase of collections by 20 designers, took place in December just days before Chanel held its Métiers d’Art show in the city.
But despite Dakar’s growing prominence as a fashionable destination, it’s not as easy as New York or Paris to capture the candid everyday life of stylish people.
Senegalese are known for their friendliness and hospitality — two qualities I saw in most people I met on my trip to Dakar last month — but their relationship with Western cameras is modest at best. We wanted to venture beyond the corners of the street, so we hired a guide, as English is not widely spoken.Mady Camara, a journalist and former New York Times employee, helped us communicate in Dakar. rice field.
We started most mornings at sunrise, walked until sunset, and rested and ate only during the hottest hours of the noon period. I shot on film, which was another challenge. The number of pictures I could take was limited and I had to make some difficult decisions about whether or not to press the Leica M4’s shutter button.
Wander the beaches of Ngor, a region along the northwest coast of Dakar, and the streets of Plateu, the city’s bustling downtown, photographing individuals, young and old, in clothing that ranges from traditional to eclectic. Did. A graceful student from out of town visiting a friend at Sheikh Anta Diop University. An artist taking a morning walk to another beach, the Plage de Virage. A woman waiting for a bus. A man standing on a street corner. A pastel striped shirt blends in with the faded colors of the surrounding buildings.
One of my fondest memories is a night at Yof Beach where young men were playing soccer barefoot while watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. Not just one game, but multiple games. His 100+ men I counted were wearing shirts from different football his teams around the world, creating a colorful mosaic that stretched as far as the eye could see.
After returning to New York, I had one nagging critical thought when looking at the photos I took in Dakar. I should have brought more film.
