Joal-Fadiouth is a town and urban commune in the Thiès Region at the end of the

Petite Côte The Petite Côte is a stretch of coast in Senegal, running south from the Cap-Vert peninsula to the Saloum Delta, near the border with the Gambia. The northern section near Dakar contains seaside resorts such as Saly Portudal, Rufisque, Nian ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, south-east of Dakar. ''Joal'' lies on the mainland, while ''Fadiouth'', linked by a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

, lies on an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

s, which are also used in local

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

. The village has no motorised transport evidenced by the sign on entering. It has large

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

populations with

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

on another shell island. Another attraction is granaries on

stilt Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates. They have extremely long legs, hence the grou ...

s in the water. The population of the commune in 2013 was some 46,000.

History

While the origin of the village remains disputed, the establishment of the Serer in the area is assumed to have begun when the advance of the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

in the 11th century forced them to leave the Sénégal River valley, occupying the

and the region of the

Sine River The River Sine or Sine River (Siin in Serer language; ''La Rivière Sine'' in French language) is a river in Senegal. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean with the River Saloum in the delta of Sine-Saloum. See also *Saloum Delta National Park, a U ...

. Another theory claims that Joal and Fadiouth have been founded by the Guelowar when they were expelled from the kingdom of

Kaabu Kaabu (1537–1867), also written Gabu, Ngabou, and N'Gabu, was a federation of Mandinka kingdoms in the Senegambia region centered within modern northeastern Guinea-Bissau, large parts of today's Gambia, and extending into Koussanar, Kou ...

. Both of these theories draw on the frequency of certain surnames as evidence, indicating families' ethnic origins. During the colonial period, Joal became one of the largest trading posts in Western Senegal. By the late 16th century, Dutch and Portuguese traders were both established there, as well as further up the coast in

Saly Saly (also called Sali or Saly Portudal) is a seaside resort and urban commune in Thiès Region on the Petite Côte of Senegal, south of Dakar. It is a major tourist destination in Senegal. History Saly was originally a Portuguese trading post kn ...

.Guy Thilmans, ʻSur lʼExistence, Fin XVIe siècle, de Comptoirs Néerlandais à Joal et Portudal (Sénégal)ʼ, Notes Africaines 117 (1968): 17. Until around 1635, a community of Portuguese Jewish traders lived in the village. Protected by the local chief, they were allowed to openly profess their religion, to the annoyance of the Portuguese (

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

) government. The establishment of European posts in the region enabled penetration by missionaries as early as the 17th-century. The proselytisation however was met by strong resistance by the local population, delaying large-scale evangelising by the Europeans to the 19th-century when Senegal became a French colony. In 1850, a mission was finally established in the village, the first priest was ordained there in 1885. It was during that time that the passage of El Hadj Umar Tall was commemorated by building a mosque for his appraisal. The important architectural legacy recalling this memorable passing is in danger of deterioration.

Administration

Joal-Fadiouth was initially a canton, later on a county seat. It was elevated to a commune on 1 February 1966, with the process being completed by decree n° 72-82 on 3 February 1972 defining the borders of the commune. Today, Joal-Fadiouth is a part of the M'bour Department, occupying the southernmost point of the Thiès Region. Bordering the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in the west, the commune incorporates the

rural community Rural Sociologists have identified a number of different types of rural communities, which have arisen as a result of changing economic trends within rural regions of industrial nations. The basic trend seems to be one in which communities a ...

of Nguéniène in the north and the rural community of Palmarin in the south. Its mayors have been Jean Collin, Emmanuel Sobel Diouf, Paul Ndong and presently Boucar Diouf

Geology

Joal-Fadiouth occupies an intermediate point between the Sahel Belt and the humid Casamance region. Due to its position in an estuary, the greater part of the commune (3,021 hectares) is seasonally flooded. The climate is typical of the Sahel with 3 to 4 months of winter from July to October and mild temperatures from November to April. The annual average temperature is 29 °C. The estuary is at any time of the year populated by mangroves, it is pervaded by , arms of the sea common to the coast of Senegal, mixing salt-water with river water and sprinkled with little isles of sea shells populated by baobabs and acacias. The mangrove woods are populated by sea birds ( sea gulls,

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of sandpipers in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

s). Monkeys, ciconias and

hyena Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...

s are also to be found there. This island has millions of sea shells, the local people use the shells to decorate their graves.

Population

The most recent census of 2013 put the population at 45,903 people. The population is predominantly of Serer origin. In a country with an overwhelming majority of Muslims, the inhabitants of the isle of Fadiouth are 90% Christian.

Economy

The main income of Joal is fishing (it is the largest fishing harbour of Senegal),

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

Famous personalities

*The first president of Senegal,

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor ( , , ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, cultural theorist and poet who served as the first president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980. Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one ...

, was born at Joal. It is possible to visit his birthplace which carries the name Mbind Diogoye ("lion's mansion" in Serer) * Yékini, the champion of Senegalese wrestling was born in Joal. *The first missionary who died in Senegal is buried in the cemetery of Fadiouth with a white cross marking his grave. *In 2000, the writer Kama Sywor Kamanda was made an honorary citizen of Joal-Fadiouth.

Climate

Fadiouth has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(BSh) with no rainfall from November to May and moderate to heavy rainfall from June to October.

References

External links

* {{Islands of Senegal Atlantic islands of Senegal Communes of Senegal Historic Jewish communities in West Africa Jews and Judaism in Senegal Populated places in Thiès region Sephardi Jewish culture in Africa Portuguese-Jewish diaspora in Africa Petite Côte