Covid-19 in Senegal: cultural life resumes its course in Dakar
Audio 01:25
The Orchestra Baobab group performed its first concert in months in a restaurant on the Corniche des Almadies in Dakar.
© Théa Ollivier / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
It is again authorized to make music, songs and dances in the drinking establishments, according to a decree of the governor of Dakar of March 20.
Activities that had been suspended for months to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
The state of health disaster in Dakar and Thiès had already ended on Friday March 19 at midnight, where the majority of Covid-19 cases are concentrated.
Senegal has passed the 1,000-related death mark and 37,833 positive cases for the coronavirus pandemic.
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With our correspondent in Dakar
,
Théa Ollivier
The tables at this restaurant on the Corniche des Almadies in Dakar are all occupied.
Some customers dance to the notes of the group installed in front of the sea.
Anida came with some friends to enjoy a Sunday afternoon of music.
“
It's pure happiness!
The proof, since it is reopened, we go out, his fate, we go out, we had missed it so much!
It warms hearts.
But it is sure that it will not last.
Because the disease is still present.
But we need to live.
"
This resumption of cultural activities reassures Myriam Lopes, co-owner of the restaurant.
“
We lost some customers that we found very quickly when we resumed concerts.
We were impacted as restaurateurs on the financial side, there we are relieved.
We all want to resume a somewhat normal life.
"
It was Orchestra Baobab's first concert in months.
A relief for one of its members Thierno Koité.
“
We are musicians, fathers of families.
To be able to support ourselves, it was really time we started playing.
It was really very difficult, but we were able to hold on anyway.
From time to time, we do rehearsals, we started to make models for the next album.
"
If concerts resume in Senegal, international tours are still uncertain in the coming months.
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