Category: West Africa

Senegal is cut in two by The Gambia. This results from the colonial folly that granted the British control of the Gambia river for 200 miles (320 km) inland and ten miles (16 km) on both sides of the river. The area south of The Gambia is called Casamance and is considering itself as distinct from the rest of Senegal. People living there belong to another ethnic group and are mostly Christian contrary to the Muslim majority in the rest of the country. The existence of The Gambia also hindered exchange between the two parts of the country. […]

I enter Senegal by boat, crossing the river of the same name from Mauritania. Rosso is a provincial town and as I see no ATM, I change a note of 20€ to have some cash. A minivan drives down the road slowly and someone shouts Saint-Louis. They stop for me. I have seen this in many parts of the world where transport operates on the we-leave-when-full-maxim. They prowl the streets to fill up the car and as this saves me the walk to the bus station I hop on. It should have made me suspicious […]