Médina, Dakar

Médina is a commune d'arrondissement of the city of Dakar, Senegal, part of the Dakar-Plateau arrondissement, located in the southern part of Dakar.

Overview

Médina is one of the most ancient and most populous areas of Dakar, and one that has kept its original African character, as opposed to the modern districts of the Plateau. As such, it is also a cultural centre of the city. A number of notable Senegalese people, including the world-famous singer Youssou N'Dour and Omar Pene (another influential singer and musician) were born in Médina.

Médina also houses some of the prominent landmarks of Dakar, including the Grand Mosque and the Soumbédioune market, one of the major street markets of Dakar, which is also a prominent tourist attraction.

History

The commune of Médina was established by the French colonial authorities in 1914. The explicit intent of the establishment of Médina was that of creating a "native quarter" for the African population, clearly separated from the urban areas inhabited by the Europeans, especially for health-related reasons.

Dakar

Dakar (English pronunciation: /dɑːˈkɑːr, ˈdækər/;French: [da.kaʁ]) is the capital and largest city of Senegal.

It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city in the Old World and on the African mainland. Its position, on the western edge of Africa, is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional port.

According to 31 December 2005 official estimates, the city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 2.45 million people.

Dakar is a major administrative center, home to the Senegal National Assembly and the Presidential Palace.

History

Early history

The Cap-Vert peninsula was settled, no later than the 15th century, by the Lebou people, an aquacultural ethnic group related to the neighboring Wolof and Sereer. The original villages: Ouakam, Ngor, Yoff and Hann, still constitute distinctively Lebou neighborhoods of the city today. In 1444, the Portuguese reached the Bay of Dakar, initially as slave-raiders, but were repulsed by the natives on the shores. Peaceful contact was finally opened in 1456 by Diogo Gomes, and the bay was subsequently referred to as the "Angra de Bezeguiche" (after the name of the local ruler). The bay of "Bezeguiche" would serve as a critical stop for the Portuguese India Armadas of the early 16th century, where large fleets would routinely put in, both on their outward and return journeys from India, to repair, collect fresh water from the rivulets and wells along the Cap-Vert shore and trade for provisions with the local people for their remaining voyage. (It was famously during one of these stops, in 1501, where the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci began to construct his "New World" hypothesis about America.)

Dakar (actor)

Dakar (born Alejandro Barrera; 9 July 1921 - 14 September 2004) was a Peruvian actor. He appeared in more than twenty films from 1964 to 1982.

Selected filmography

References

External links

Dakar (album)

Dakar is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1963 on Prestige Records, catalogue 7280. Dakar is a reissue of one side of a 16 rpm LP called Baritones and French Horns released in 1957, and originally credited to the "Prestige All Stars".

As Coltrane's fame grew during the 1960s after he had stopped recording for Prestige, the record company assembled and reissued varied Coltrane recordings with his name prominently displayed, though in many cases, like on Dakar, he had originally been a sideman. However, a retrospective review for Allmusic suggested that issuing the album as if it were originally led by Coltrane was appropriate given that his "urgent" performances were often the most compelling.

Track listing

Personnel