For the second half of class, we learned about the city of Dakar, which is the the capital of Senegal – through the presentation of Dr. Ibra Sene. We went over some background information on the city, learning that it has a population of around 3.3 million people and that it is a major tourist attraction. We also recognized that Dakar is an important economic and cultural center and acts as a global hub for multiple organizations.

We learned about how Dakar was once just a tiny village that belonged to the Kajoor Kingdom up to the late 1700s. Although the Lebou Republic had established its power over Dakar around 1795, the establishment of a French Military Post in 1857 led to the annexation of the Lebou Republic. In 1863 Dakar’s first port was installed, and 32 years later (in 1895) French West Africa (FWA) had firmly established it’s power in Dakar. A few years later Dakar would become the seat of the government general of FWA, In the early to mid 1900’s, Dakar sees the establishment of colonial medical schools and a plague outbreak. in 1960, Dakar would gain independence and become a center of protest against neo-colonialism.