Dispatches from Dakar
June 7, 2018
by apaparis
News of our inaugural launch of APA Dakar 2018
Welcome to the APA office hosted at the Superior Institute of Management (ISM). We have been welcomed by ISM with generosity and support. Sophie Corbeau directs this first edition of the program with the support of Cecilia and Edward, two graduate students in Project Management at ISM, overseen by Dr. Daniel Bitty, ISM International Relations Director. Aside from her support role, Cecilia accompanies the students on all the cultural events and manages the French conversation meetings while Edouard produces the Dispatches from Dakar and carries out the Wolof conversation workshops.
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- The APA office and classrooms are in the main building at ISM.
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- L-R: Cecilia, Sophie, Edouard
Let us back up for a moment to May 23rd, the arrival date of our three students, Brooke, Julia, and Tanisha who were welcomed by APA Founder Claire Suraqui. For three days, the students stayed at an inviting hotel, Casa Mara, located in the Sicap-Amitié neighborhood, two steps from the ACI Baobab Center. Our partners at the center covered questions on health and security, toured the neighborhood, and covered sessions on host families and Senegalese values over the three-day period.
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- Casa Mara Hotel
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- Orientation Meeting at ACI Baobab
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- Traditional meal at ACI Baobab
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- Welcome dinner!
On May 28th, Julia, Brooke, and Tanisha met ISM students Yvanna, Safiatou, and Julien. All six will take two courses from the following options:
- Contemporary Francophone Literature- Oral and Written
- Contemporary African Art (Part 1 is dedicated to visual arts in conjunction with the 2018 Dak’Art Biennial)
- Economics and Development
Dr. Daniel Bitty, ISM International Relations Director teaches the Economics and Development course.
The former courthouse hosts the main exposition for the 2018 Dak’Art Biennial. This space serves as the classroom for the Contemporary African Arts course taught by Malick Ndiaye, art historian and curator for the Theodore Monod Museum.
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- Homage to the Senegalese sculptor Ndary Lo—2018 Dak’Art Biennial
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- Homage to the Senegalese sculptor Ndary Lo—2018 Dak’Art Biennial
Homage to the Senegalese sculptor Ndary Lo—2018 Dak’Art Biennial
Thursday, May 31st, our students had their first lesson in African dance and djembé (drums) with Dame Kassé, dancer and choreographer at the Dakar Cultural Center—a true incubator for artists!
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- Initiation into African Dance with dancer and Choreographer Dame Kasse
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- Initiation into African drums
Saturday June 2nd: Discovering Gorée Island
Twenty minutes from Dakar by boat, Gorée is a captivating island that one can discover by foot, walking through the narrow streets lined with houses sporting bougainvillea flowers. It is also a place preserved to reflect on the slave trade.
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- Goree Island
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- Walk through the streets of Goree.
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- APA students visit the slave trade museum and memorial.
Top to bottom: Gorée Island, Walk through the streets of Gorée, APA students visit the slave trade museum and memorial.
Next week, we will put the spotlight on one of our professors, meet one of our host families, and discover the Dakar nightlife!
