Five Amazing Facts About Senegal, The Home Of Singer, Akon

Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country in West Africa.

Senegal is bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest.

With a total population of 16.7 million people, Senegal is the place to go. Known for its vibrant culture, Senegal is a must-see destination tourists have raved about.

Here are five reasons you should visit the country someday.

Senegal will be the first African country to host the Olympics

In 2022, athletes from around the world will head to Senegal to compete in the Youth Olympic Games.

This is a great time for the international community to discover the Land of Terranga.

The Youth Olympic Games will be centered around three cities: Dakar, the capital of Senegal; the rapidly-expanding city of Diamniadio; and the beach town of Saly.

Akon is Senegalese

Born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, Akon lived in Senegal during his childhood.

He revealed in 2018 that he would be developing his own cryptocurrency to bolster economic activity in his ancestral country.

While Akon has since left Senegal and is identified as an American singer-songwriter, you can still hear his songs in clubs and while riding taxis in Senegal.

There is an annual pilgrimage

Known as the Hajj of Senegal, Magal Touba is the event for Baay Fall practitioners.

Each October, followers from all parts of West Africa will trek to the illustrious religious capital of Touba and pray for their founder Serigne Touba.

Leading up to the event, major cities will host week-long festivals filled with food and praying. Another prominent holiday Mourids celebrate is Tabaski.

Senegal’s first president was Catholic

Renowned poet Léopold Sédar Senghor made the call for independence starting in 1959.

He believed in federalism and rallied to form the Federal Assembly of West Africa after France left the region.

Despite the low success of the assembly, Senghor later became the first president of Senegal. Senghor was president from 1960 to 1980.

Bonus fact: Senghor’s idea to have a museum dedicated to black history was made true in December of 2018.

There is a pink lake

If you head one hour east of metropolitan Dakar, you can reach Lac Retba – better known as the Pink Lake.

The reason the lake is pink is because of the high concentration of salt. The lake contains bacteria that can only survive under this peculiar condition and give off a pink color when absorbing sunlight.

If you are interested in visiting the lake, try going during December or January when Senegal is experiencing the dry season.