Yoff Tonghor

This is one of the most typical places I have visited so far in Senegal. We returned here with Ale and his wife in order to buy a good fresh fish and as usual we have not been disappointed. The taxi left us in front of a sandy cul de sac with some tiny shops, small fish restaurants and a busy taxi and clients traffic jam. As soon as we stepped into the beach a huge, happy, shouting colourful crowd called us to catch our attention in the hope of a good business. When you get here in the late afternoon all the coloured fishermen boats are resting on the beach while the fishermen women and children have set tiny wooden stalls . I am always astonished to see such a variety of fishes: barracuda, butterfish, kingfish, snakefish, parrot fish and many more, from small to huge 6 or 10kg weight. When you start your choice and you bargain immediately a young woman approach you, keep silent and just follow you wherever you go...no need to say that her behaviour confused me so much, however as soon as we bought our 5 kg fishes I realized that she is one of the beach cleaners who support her family and her lovely kid (who is always scared of me) by cleaning in a very professional, but also dangerous way, the fishes that many clients come here to buy. Her knives are extremely sharp and she wears no protection gloves...of course we are not in Europe! It seems that Yoff is a very conservative district of Dakar, thats why it is even more difficult to take a photo if you are a Toubab, let s say that I needed the help of Ale to have some photos taken, except for the women who sold us the fish who were satisfied enough to let me take as many photos as I wished. Next to the seaside there are also many horsecarts where the women upload the fish they were not able to sell. Yoff Tonghor is definitively one of my favourite place as much as I know that Dyenoba will transform this fish, some rice and some vegetables (Tamarind is a must in senegalese receipts) in a huge and delicious Cepbujen that we have eaten all together with Ale brother Selin Touba, a Senegalese friend girl of mine, Fatoumata, and our Italian friend Carlo who is currently doing some research about Senegalese fight Bore, in order to write a reportage for an iItalian magazine. Of course Dyenoba kept some food for the apartment keeper who is quite poor, this is a strong part of tradition and solidarity typical of Senegal a country who can be considered poor but which is actually extremely rich and interesting.