Senegal: the carnival of Dakar honors the haal pulaar culture
“The Fouladou is here!”, a troupe from Kolda at the Dakar carnival on November 26, 2022. © Charlotte Idrac / RFI
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In Senegal, the carnival of Dakar opened on Saturday November 26, and takes place until Sunday evening at the Blaise Senghor cultural center.
Music, dance, theatre, parades: this is the third edition of this festival which celebrates the cultural heritage of the country, and this year, the Haal Pulaar culture is in the spotlight.
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With our correspondent in Dakar,
Charlotte Idrac
In traditional costumes, women dance while holding rice gourds and agricultural tools.
The troupe came from Kolda, in the south of the country.
Dean Farang Baldé is smiling. “
Here is Fouladou, their culture
,” he says.
Promoting the diversity of Senegal is the objective of the carnival.
After the culture of the Coniaguis, then the Lébous, focus this year on that of the Haal Pulaar, particularly present in the north and east of the country, but also in Casamance.
“
Haal Pulaar culture is a culture which in itself is very diversified,
explains Fatou Kassé-Sarr, organizer of the event.
It's a language, Fulani, boubous, rather specific forms of fabric, headdresses, it's also a type of music with certain instruments, the xalam, a kind of lute, but not quite.
So all that is part of this cultural richness.
»
The festival also allows younger generations to discover traditions.
Henriette, 18, is doing make-up for children: "
The one I'm doing here is war make-up, because white represents purity, blue is representative of mystery, strength, courage.
During my research, I discovered things about the Senegalese population that I did not know.
»
This third edition is sponsored this year by singer Baaba Maal.
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