Girl, get that thang off your head!: On Saturday night I went to the Goree Diaspora festival with a mix of Senegalese and American friends. The ambiance was great, but lots of the big stars never showed up. So we had a few drinks and snacks and sat talking about everything from tension between men and women in the African American community to the common bias against Baayfall (a Rastafarian-like sect of Islam practiced here in Senegal). One of the more amusing discussions was brought up by our new American friends, Gabe and Calvin, two Howard grads who recently moved here to teach. They had been super excited about meeting beautiful Senegalese women, and understandably so. Senegalese women are stunning. However, one thing they had not counted on is the insidious presence of BWS - Bad Weave Syndrome. Weave is very common here, expecially bad weave (and when I say bad, I mean 'Girl, someone lied to you!' baaaad). Our conversation included a lot of joking on the topic (we're thinking of launching a campaign to fight BWS, including an on-the-ground Weave-snatching force...lol), but this is actually a pretty serious subject. I spoke to my friend, Morgann, about it before she left and we decided that BWS is the result of media promoting permed/synthetic/Caucasion hair combined with a lack of funds to buy quality products. It is actually very disheartening to see beautiful Senegalese women with multicolored, tracks-all-out, no-shame, bad weave hiding their natural hair, which is often so oversaturated with 'defrissage' (straightening) chemicals that nothing else can be done with it. I noticed a similar trend in Ghana with perms, but it is less extreme. And we all know the politics of black hair in the U.S....Calvin said it plainly, "If people in Africa are not comfortable with just being black where can we go to be ourselves?"

Afro-Woman:
Fighting Bad Weave Syndrome
one postive black image and weave-snatchin' at a time...

Celebrations: About a month ago one of my younger cousins within my former Senegalese host family got married. I attended lunch before the actually ceremony and was able to reunite with my extended Senegalese family and join in the wedding-day boubou bling. Everyone was happy to see me back (though not very surprised). We had platter upon platter of steaming rice with spiced meat while the young bride-to-be basked in our attention and praises and graciously accepted photo requests.

Picture: Me and Yacine

The next week Moussou invited me to join in celebrating the (second?) birthday of a little cousin, Papis. He and his sister, Awa, are visiting from the U.S., where their parents live. The party was basically a group of adults sitting around and watching the kids at play. I was the designated photographer and caught several very cute shots of the birthday boy and his posse.But here are some nice ones of me with my former host mom, who everyone calls mamma, and Moussou, my Senegalese sister, looking fly in the outfit I gifted her.


Overall, I must admit that ever since Ramadan I have been doing a lot of partying. Not the kind that involves getting super dressed up and paying at the door, but cool and casual partying that involves making new friends, discussing things in different languages and celebrating culture, life, and successes. A month or two ago Duma, Jeanne and I hosted a birthday party for one of Jeanne's friends that possibly made Ouakam history. The birthday girl, Fleur, hired a DJ who came with his mega speakers and turned our serene terrace into a club. People were up there dancing until 4am.

The next weekend, Duma, Morgann and I accompanied some new friends to a Brazilian birthday party, complete with drumming, Capoeira, and Feijoada (black beans- although here they were actually red). I felt like I was back in NYC, Brooklyn in particular...chilling with Fatma, Salim, Sozi, Kevin and the whole manjinga/ capoeira-obsessed crew. The next week Duma and I chilled with a new friend (who we met at the Brazilian soiree) at the house of one of our neighbors. We had noticed these really cool bright yellow posters everywhere advertising the new album release of a musician called Naby. Ironically enough, Naby and his wife and baby are our neighbors. We all hung out and got the royal treatment at the club where he hosted his release party (which we attended last weekend).

A couple of weeks ago we attended an Indian Diwali (festival of lights) celebration, also in our blossoming little neighborhood. We were instructed to come wearing 'something Indian.' Vague as that is, we managed and were greeted at the candle-lined door by Jeanne (she went early to help out), who dabbed our foreheads with rice grains colored by an red-orange dye. We entered during a ritual prayer in front of candles and then were invited to receive a blessing and a wish-bracelet. After eating some delicious home-cooked Indian food (Dev, our host, promised to give us lessons), the party really got started and everyone danced to bollywood mixes. We didn't stay too late, it being a Tuesday night and all...

Last week we party-hopped throughout election night...This weekend there is the Goree Diaspora Festival to attend. This is not to brag, but just to give you all a glimpse of the melange of events and many things to celebrate in Dakar. It's the kind of town where even the opening of a new salon is celebrated with a soiree, literally.

The next celebration on the agenda is Thanksgiving. I am working with the student activities coordinator at Suffolk University, our host institution here, to organize a Thanksgiving dinner for the students and faculty complete with turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.

So much to celebrate, so much to be thankful for!

Nov. 5th = OBAMA DAY: Early this morning I caught myself in a crowded bar reminiscent of NYU haunts in the lower east side, tearfully singing the American national anthem with a diverse group of friends, Dakar residents, and unknown compatriots. This was definitely a first for me; but today is a day of many firsts. The United States has just elected Barack Obama to be its next president. This is the first time I have felt truly proud of my country, its decision, and its spirit of idealism. We all listened attentively as McCain graciously admitted defeat and as Barack, eloquent as ever, spoke of our collective accomplishment and the real challenges ahead. The man is truly brilliant. I admit that when I saw Virginia go blue and saw the CNN projection of Barack's victory on screen, I broke down into sobs. Around me friends and strangers cheered, screamed, cried, jumped up and down, and generally fell into an overwhelming fit of collective joy. It was truly a euphoric moment - one that will be forever ingrained in my memory. We eventually headed home at 6am and collapsed, as if exhausted by the two year campaign trail ourselves.

Before the bar we fawned over this cutout of Barack at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence.

Waking up later today knowing that the results weren't just a dream, that Barack is in fact President Obama, was and remains incredible. Since it is Obama Day - we took the day off, donned our Obama gear, and went downtown for a celebration lunch. Our waiter must have noticed our pins and incessant Obama chatter - in an act of Senegalese generosity, he gave us his invaluable (and very hard to find here) Obama 08 poster. I was really touched, and already still reeling from the night's events....I am still weepy! Everywhere we stepped, people gave us thumbs ups and their congratulations. What a day! What a blissfully joyful day!

Restaurant waiter, Mamadou, who gave us his poster

On a more serious note, for the more cynical among you: please don't take my current bliss to mean I follow Obama blindly, even though I do love him. I do not expect him to change the world or even our political system. I expect him to do his best leading the country, resolving domestic and foreign relations problems. I believe that his best is potentially the best we have ever seen in any president because of his character, upbringing, experience, and ability to inspire across so many lines. In the end, if we want a revolution to happen, that's up to us, not Obama. If anything, his campaign has taught us that much. So, to the cynical, open your hearts and minds just a little bit more...i know it can be risky, but that's how change actually happens step by step. It's no small thing that the babies born within the coming months and years will grow up with a black president as a norm in life, a given. And the emotional support of and attachment to Obama of older generations within the black community is not something that should be mocked or treated callously (as I've seen on facebook). This is a time to honor those who have made this step, however relative, possible. Thank you grandparents, parents. aunties. uncles and peers!

'It's Black Obama!' - A major Senegalese newspaper celebrates Barack and the history made today.

One more thing - If you know me, you know how much I love Alice Walker. Here are her words of wisdom to our next president (thanks syd!).