Dodji is a town in north central
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣� ...
. with a 2007 estimated population of 8,281. It is in the
Louga Region
Louga is a city and region of Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pul ...
,
Linguère
Linguère (or Lingeer in SererKlein, Martin A. "Islam and Imperialism in Senegal Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914." Edinburgh University Press (1968) pp 11-15 & 262 and Wolof) is a town located in the Linguère Department, Louga Region of Senegal.
...
Department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
, and the Dodji Arrondissement, which consists of the communauté rurales of Dodji, Labgar, and Ouarkhokh. Though a separate administrative unit, Dodji falls under the
Commune of Dahra - Linguère. As of 2007, Dodji's highest administrative official, (''Président de Communauté Rurale'') is Math Coueladio Ba, formerly of the
Senegalese Socialist Party
The Senegalese Socialist Party (french: Parti Socialiste Sénégalais) was a political party in Senegal (at the time part of French West Africa). PSS was founded in July 1934 by Lamine Guèye, as a split from the French Section of the Workers' ...
, now allied to the ruling
PDS
PD, P.D., or Pd may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''People's Democracy'' (newspaper), weekly organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
* ''The Plain Dealer'', a Cleveland, Ohio, US newspaper
* Post Diaspora, a time frame in the '' Honorverse' ...
.
Dodji Airport is a long sand landing strip.
History
Dodji is situated in a semi-arid savanna zone, with few permanent settlements until the decades before the Second World War. The town was founded by young
Wolof members of the
Mouride
The Mouride brotherhood ( wo, yoonu murit, ar, الطريقة المريدية ''aá¹-ṬarÄ«qat al-MurÄ«diyyah'' or simply , ''al-MurÄ«diyyah'') is a large ''tariqa'' ( Sufi order) most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia with headquarters in ...
brotherhood. Many previously uninhabited areas in eastern Senegal were settled and communities established as part of the movement's drive to find land and livelihood for Senegal's population.
Dodji's isolation is evinced by the deportation of strike leaders from
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 ...
to the town after a general strike called by the Dakar branch of the Union Nationale des Travailleurs du Sénégal (UNTS) in May 1963.
The area around Dodji, historically very sparsely populated, has also been used by the French military as a live fire training ground.
Development
The town receives of rainfall annually, so most agriculture is limited to
pastoralism
Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as " livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands ( pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The ani ...
, although
peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...
cultivation, predominating in the west, has been transplanted here. Cattle herding has been plagued by drought and problems with access to
silage
Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants ( cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage ...
in the region, although the later problem appears less severe in Dodji. Attempts to aid farming have come domestically and internationally, as well as from local organizations such as the ''Association pour le Développement de Dodji et Yang-Yang (ADYD)''. The national government has recently completed a 5 km by 10 km, 15 billion liter reservoir for local farmers, and a number of international
food security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
projects use Dodji as a local base. The entire region has also been plagued by dry season fires in recent years.
Suivi des feux de brousse au Sénégal (2005-2006). Centre de Suivi Ecologique, Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Protection de la Nature
.
References
.
External links
werelddiatheek.be: Belgian photographer's images of Dodji, 2003-2004
{{coord, 15, 31, N, 14, 56, W, region:SN_type:city, display=title
Populated places in Louga Region