Popenguine-Ndayane is a small town and urban commune on the shore of 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 ...

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 ...

, located 70 km south of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, on 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 ...

, in the department of

M'Bour M'Bour or Mbour (; Wolof: ''Mbuur''), is a city in the Thiès Region of Senegal. It lies on the Petite Côte, approximately south of Dakar. It is home to a population of 284,189 (2023 census). The city's major industries are tourism, fishing a ...

in the region of

Thiès Region Thiès (; ; Noon: ''Chess'') is the third largest city in Senegal with a population of 391,253 in 2023. It lies east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis. It is the capital of Thiès Regio ...

. Since 2008, it brings together two localities, Popenguine and Ndayane.

History

Founded 350 years ago, the village was first called Poponguine. It became Popenguine an initiative of President

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 ...

, one of whose poems is called "Retour à Popenguine". The town is a favorite vacation spot for Senegal's heads of state. In 2003, Wolimata Thiao mobilized COPRONAT a Collective of Women’s Groups for the Protection of Nature (COPRONAT). They are in partnership with local communities and the Senegalese government. COPRONAT brings together women's groups from eight different villages. They have been in charge of protecting the Popenguine Nature Reserve since 1996. They plant trees, manage erosion and waste, environmental education activities that invest in the communities. In February 2021, the village of Popenguine Ndayane launched a local campaign in response to COVID. The campaign was led by Charles Ciss and the Citizen Solidarity Movement. Young people of the village distributed thousands of masks, cleaning products, and health kits to Muslim and Christian religious leaders, women in charge of market management, community groups, neighborhoods, elderly, and vulnerable people.

Administration

Popenguine was part of the rural community of Diass. It was set up as a municipality in July 2008. The Popenguine Classified Forest and the Popenguine Nature Reserve are included in the municipal perimeter. Popenguine is set up in common with Ndayane and Popenguine Serer, with the name “Popenguine-Ndayane”. The first mayor is Mamadou Mansour Thiandoum, elected on April 14, 2009 by a municipal council of 36 members.

Geography

The nearest towns are Santiaba, Keuri Kaw, Tiambokh, Poponguine Serere, Gamboulem and Tialane. Dakar, the capital of Senegal, is 71 km away.

Population

In 2009, Popenguine-Ndayane had 12,000 inhabitants and more than 380 households. The predominant ethnic group is the

Serer people The Serer people (''Serer language, Serer proper'': Seereer or Sereer) are a West African ethnoreligious groupGastellu, Jean-Marc, ''Petit traité de matrilinarité. L'accumulation dans deux sociétés rurales d'Afrique de l'Ouest'', Cahiers ORST ...

. The languages spoken in the village are

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

, Sereer Safin, and French.

Notable Sites

* There is Sunday Mass at the Notre-Dame de la Délivrande. Originally a fishing and farming village, it is now known mainly as a place of Catholic pilgrimage. * The Popenguine Nature Reserve was created in 1986 by the Nicolas Hulot Foundation.

Gallery

File:Reserve-popenguine-01.jpg File:Cliff-popenguine-01.jpg File:First and Second Beach View.JPG File:PopenguineChurch.JPG File:Beach View of Cap de Naz.JPG File:Con la Virgen de Popenguine (Senegal) en Torreciudad 2017 - 47 (35242127535).jpg File:Fishing.JPG

Notable People

Ayi Kwei Armah Ayi Kwei Armah (born 28 October 1939) is a Ghanaian writer best known for his novels including '' The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born'' (1968), '' Two Thousand Seasons'' (1973) and '' The Healers'' (1978). He is also an essayist, as well as havin ...

, a noted Ghanaian novelist, lives in Popenguine. He is the founder of Ankh Publishing in Popenguine.

Personalities born in Popenguine

Hyacinthe Thiandoum Hyacinthe Thiandoum (2 February 1921 – 18 May 2004) was the first native Archbishop of Dakar (Senegal) and who was elevated to the cardinalate in mid-1976 by Pope Paul VI. Born 1921 in Poponguine, Senegal, his father was a catechist. After fin ...

Cardinal-Archbishop of Dakar *Mamadou Diouf, former deputy and former civil administrator *Mamadou Mansour Thiandoum, Mayor of Popenguine

References

{{Reflist

External links

1994 Movie Rocking PoponguineImages Popenguine-Ndayane
Populated places in Thiès region Communes of Senegal Populated coastal places in Senegal Populated places in Dakar region Petite Côte