Ouakam is a commune d'arrondissement in the city of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

. The commune is the birthplace of French politicians

Ségolène Royal Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election. Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 201 ...

and Rama Yade and

ese writer and politician

Birago Diop Birago Diop (11 December 1906 – 25 November 1989) was a Senegalese poet and storyteller whose work restored general interest in African folktales and promoted him to one of the most outstanding African francophone writers.Lebou The Lebu (Lebou, ''Lébou'') are an ethnic group of Senegal, West Africa, living on the peninsula of Cap-Vert. The Lebu are primarily a fishing community, but they have a substantial business in construction supplies and real estate.Keese, Alexa ...

villages of the

Cap-Vert Cap-Vert, or the Cape Verde Peninsula, is a peninsula in Senegal and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Afro-Eurasia mainland. Portuguese explorers called it Cabo Verde or "Green Cape". The Cape Verde islands, further ...

Peninsula, along with

Yoff Yoff ( wo, Yoof; french: Yoff) is a town (''commune d'arrondissement''), part of the city (''commune'') of Dakar, located in Senegal. It lies north of downtown Dakar and immediately north of Dakar Airport ( Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor Inter ...

Ngor Ngor or Ngor Éwam Chöden (, ) is the name of a monastery in the Ü-Tsang province of Tibet about southwest of Shigatse and is the Sakya school's second most important gompa. It is the main temple of the large Ngor school of Vajrayana Buddhi ...

, and Hann.

Description

Ouakam is an ancient village that has since been absorbed as a residential suburb of

. It is situated on the Atlantic coast at the foot of a range of hills, the

Deux Mamelles Deux Mamelles, Collines des Mamelles, or simply Mamelles are twin hills located in Ouakam, a suburban commune of Dakar, in the Cap-Vert peninsula, Senegal. These hills are of volcanic origin and they are the vestiges of a plateau from the early ...

, Ouakam has two beaches, one of which is popular among surfers. According to the 2013 census, the commune of Ouakam comprised 74,692 people. The

Mosque of Divinity The Mosque of Divinity () built 1997, is a mosque located in Ouakam, Senegal. It is a structure with two minarets. The mosque provides a view of the Atlantic Ocean, as the mosque lies near the shore, at the Corniche-Ouest. History The origi ...

was built by Mohamed Gorgui Seyni Guèye (1926–2007), a holy man who claimed to see the mosque in a dream. He followed the dream to the beach on June 28, 1973, where he received an order from the Lord to build it. The African Renaissance Monument was constructed on one of the

hills in Ouakam and was unveiled on April 4, 2010.

Economy

The village of Ouakam is home to the

Lebou people The Lebu (Lebou, ''Lébou'') are an ethnic group of Senegal, West Africa, living on the peninsula of Cap-Vert. The Lebu are primarily a fishing community, but they have a substantial business in construction supplies and real estate.Keese, Alexa ...

, many of whom are fishermen. In the colonial era, Senegalese riflemen were garrisoned at Ouakam, while today the community is home to several military encampments such as the National Military Academy, a French Army air base, and a Senegalese Air Force base. Ouakam is also a tourist center, especially with the construction of the new African Renaissance Monument.

Sports

Its chief football clubs are

US Ouakam Union Sportive Ouakam (estimate Wolof form: ''Wakaam''), abbreviation: USO is a Senegalese football club based in Dakar in the subdivision of Ouakam in the west of the city close to Cap Vert. They play in the top division in Senegalese footbal ...

and Entente Sotrac.

Famous individuals born in Ouakam

* Mouhamed Gorgui Seyni Gueye, builder of the Madjidoul Rabani Mosque near the beach *

Birago Diop Birago Diop (11 December 1906 – 25 November 1989) was a Senegalese poet and storyteller whose work restored general interest in African folktales and promoted him to one of the most outstanding African francophone writers.Ségolène Royal Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election. Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 201 ...

, French politician, was born on the military base at Ouakam where her father, Jacques Royal, was an artillery colonel * Rama Yade, French politician and Secretary of State for Sports

References

Sources

* C. T. Mbengue, ''An Introduction to the Traditional Villages of Yoff, Ngor and Ouakam'', in R. Register and B. Peeks (under the direction of), ''Village wisdom, future cities'', 1996, Third international conference Écoville-Écovillage (Yoff, Sénégal), Ecocity Builders, Oakland, California, pp. 82–85 * Germaine Françoise Bocandé, ''L’implantation militaire française dans la région du Cap-Vert : causes, problèmes et conséquences des origines à 1900'', Dakar, University of Dakar, 1980, 112 p. (Masters Thesis)

External links

Maps, weather and airports for Ouakam

(short video of Bertil Willotte online) {{coord, 14, 43, 26, N, 17, 29, 21, W, type:city_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Arrondissements of Dakar