Saint-Louis () or Saint Louis (), is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and north of Senegal's capital city Dakar. It had a population of 254,171 in 2023. Moreover, other issues such as overfishing are causing ripple effects in the local economy.

Etymology

Saint Louis () is named after LouisIX, a canonized 13th-century king of France. The neighborhood of Guet Ndar takes its name from a Wolof word for "pasture".

Geography

thumb|[[Langue de Barbarie]]

Saint-Louis is situated in northern Senegal, on the border with Mauritania, although the nearest border crossing is at Rosso, up the Senegal River.

The heart of the old colonial city is located on a narrow island a little more than long but only about wide. The island lies in the Senegal River. It is north of its mouth, but is only separated from the Atlantic Ocean to its west by the Langue de Barbarie, a wide sand spit. The Langue de Barbarie is the location of the seaside neighborhoods Ndar Toute and Guet Ndar. On the mainland, the east bank of the river is the site of Sor, an older settlement now considered a suburb of Saint-Louis. It is nearly surrounded by tidal marshes.

Three characteristics give Saint-Louis its distinctive geographic appearance: the Sahel, the marshes and the Langue de Barbarie.

Part of the Sahel, a transitional desertic band that separates "[...] the dunes of the Sahara from the baobabs of the savanna", Saint-Louis' landscape is characterized by occasional acacias and is disturbed by sand storms during the dry season.

The marshes are flood basins that form during the rainy season when the river overflows into the countryside, creating ponds and stretches of mangroves that attract birds like flamingos and pelicans.

The Langue de Barbarie, over a stretch of , separates the lower Senegal River from the Atlantic Ocean. Its vegetation mainly consists of Filao trees, propagated to prevent soil erosion in sandy and salty soils.

Natural sites

Among Saint-Louis' numerous natural sites are the National Park of the Langue de Barbarie, the National Park of the Birds of Djoudj, the Fauna Reserve of Gueumbeul, beaches like that of the Langue de Barbarie, the colonial waterworks at Makhana, the palace of at Richard-Toll, the Diama Dam, and various hunting lodges on the south side of the Senegal River.

This park, which is 20 square kilometres large, occupies the southern point of the Langue de Barbarie, the estuary of the Senegal river and part of the continent. It hosts thousands of water birds like cormorants, brushes, pink flamingos, pelicans, herons and ducks each year.

The world's third largest ornithological park, it is located 60&nbsp;kilometers north of Saint-Louis. This park occupies over 120&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and includes part of the river, and many lakes, basins, and marshes. About 3&nbsp;million migrating birds of 400 species visit it each year.

Located at a dozen kilometers south of the city of Saint-Louis, this reserve has an area of 7 square kilometres and shelters birds and endangered species such as the dama gazelle, the Patas monkey and the African spurred tortoise.

Climate

Saint-Louis has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). It only has two seasons, the rainy season from June to October, characterized by heat, humidity and storms, and the dry season from November to May, characterized by cool ocean breeze and dust from the Harmattan winds. Flooding is becoming worse, and by 2080 80% of the city will face flood risks.

History

Founding

thumb|upright|Negresse of quality from the Island of Saint Louis in Senegal, accompanied by her slave, Illustration from Costumes civils de tous les peuples connus, Paris, 1788, by .

A Wolof settlement at what is now known as Guet Ndar dates from around 1450 and was a meeting and departure point for Muslim pilgrims traveling to Mecca in Arabia.

Repeated flooding prompted the removal of the fort to the island known to locals as Ndar in 1659. supposedly because the local people believed it to be haunted by spirits.

Throughout the 19th century, the French periodically warred with the Emirate of Trarza and other Hassani tribal states, which disrupted the flow of gum. Nevertheless, with the removal of trade restrictions in 1848 and in 1853, exports soared. When war again broke out in 1854, the Arab Emirs forbade the Berber zwaya merchants from selling to the French, but this had little effect. Saint-Louis became capital of the federation of French West African colonies in 1895, but relinquished this role to Dakar in 1902.

thumb|[[Faidherbe Bridge, the symbol of the city.]]

Saint-Louis's fortunes began to wane as those of Dakar waxed. Access to its port became increasingly awkward in the age of the steamship and the completion of the Dakar-Saint Louis railroad in 1885 meant that up-country trade effectively circumvented its port. Large French firms, many from the city of Bordeaux, took over the new commercial networks of the interior, marginalizing the Métis traders in the process. Saint-Louis nonetheless maintained its status as capital of the Colony of Senegal even after Dakar assumed the role of capital of the French West Africa federation. The colonial institutions set up in the city in the 19th century, such as the Muslim Tribunal and the School for Chiefs' Sons, were to play important roles in the history of French Africa. Though relatively small in size (population of 10,000 in 1826; 23,000 in 1914, and 39,000 in 1955) Saint-Louis dominated Senegalese politics throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, not least because of its numerous political parties and associations and its independent newspapers.

Independence

Following independence, when Dakar became sole capital of the country, Saint-Louis slipped into a state of lethargy. As its French population and military departed, many of the town's shops, offices and businesses closed. The loss of jobs, human potential, and investment caused its economic decline. The loss of its past status meant less recognition and lack of interest from the colony's officials and, after Senegal's independence, from the Senegalese government. When its most famous political son, the French-educated lawyer Lamine Guèye, died in 1968, the city lost its strongest proponent.

Since 1993, the city has hosted the Saint Louis Jazz Festival, a major tourist draw.

Environmental issues

Between 2016 and 2017, Saint-Louis experienced a large decline in the catch of fish brought in, causing ripple effects on nutrition and food supply in the country, where 75% of animal protein comes from fish. Fisherman from the community spend twice as much time for catching smaller hauls, and are now competing with foreign fishing vessels.

Rising sea levels, as well as water levels flowing out of the Senegal River now threaten the low-lying islands which make up the city. An ill-fated 2003 canal project exacerbated flooding issues, leading to submerged neighborhoods. According to a Senegalese government study, up to 80% of the city could be at risk of flooding by 2080. The city's economy, though not entirely recovered, is gradually reviving.

The city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 and cultural tourism has become an engine of growth. As a result, a process of gentrification has set in, with many historic buildings on the island being turned into restaurants and hotels.

Beyond tourism, Saint-Louis is also a commercial and an industrial centre for sugar production. Its other economic activities are fishing, irrigated alluvial agriculture, pastoral farming, trading and exportation of peanut skins. Each of these economic activities is assured by a particular ethnic group. The Wolofs and Lebous who are the main inhabitants of Saint-Louis are mostly fishermen that live in fishing communities like Guet-Ndar on the Langue de Barbarie. The Fulas live in the inland and practice pastoral farming. The Maures who are migrants from Mauritania (Saint-Louis is less than south of the border with Mauritania) are mostly merchants, traders and shopkeepers found everywhere in Saint Louis.

Culture

thumb|[[Pirogues, many painted with names of Sufi leaders, jam the Saint-Louis wharf. Today they are used for fishing, transport, and tourism.]]

Culture constitutes an important part of Saint-Louis' economy. The city preserves much of its 19th-century morphology, reminiscent of other cities of the "Creole Atlantic": Bahia, Cartagena, Havana and New Orleans. Thanks to its distinctive appearance, numerous sites of attraction and its international music festivals and cultural exhibitions, Saint-Louis attracts many tourists each year.

Saint-Louis remains the most characteristically French colonial destination in West Africa along with Gorée Island.

Museums

thumb|Colonial architecture lines the streets of the old city.

thumb|[[World War I memorials|World War I Memorial]]

Saint-Louis' Research Center and Documentation Museum of Senegal offers interesting panoramas of Senegal's history and ethnic movements over the years, expositions of traditional clothes and musical instruments, etc.

Events and festivals

thumb|left|Girls gather on a street in Saint-Louis, 2007.

Saint Louis is famous for its urban culture. The heritage of the signares lives on in the city's many festivals and its cultivated sense of public display, and it is helping Saint-Louis emerge from decades of neglect. "Fanals", which are night-time processions of giant paper lanterns, take place at Christmas time.

The Saint-Louis Jazz Festival is the most important jazz festival in Africa. Jazz first became popular in the 1930s when records produced in Cuba were aired on the radio. After World War II, visiting U.S. GIs popularized jazz bands and by the 1950s local groups had adopted a "Cuban" sound. Another music festival, 1, 2, 3 musiques, exhibits various genres of music.

The Festival Métissons, held for the first time in 2010, is a grassroots music festival organized by local communities and small businesses. Every edition sports international, national and local musical talent.

The annual reggata, or pirogue race organized by teams of fishermen from Guet-Ndar, takes place on the "little branch" of the river, between Ndar Island and the Langue de Barbarie.

The Magal of the Niari Rakas, a yearly commemoration of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké's (the founder of Mouridism) two prayers in the Governor's Palace in 1895, is the city's largest religious gathering. There are also Christian churches and temples: Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Louis du Sénégal (Catholic Church), Assemblies of God, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

Education

thumb|The main tower at [[Gaston Berger University, 2007.]]

With a large influence over education in colonial times, Saint Louis is now a center of educational excellence. It is home to the Gaston Berger University and The Military Academy Charles Ntchorere.

Gaston Berger University, created in 1990, offers studies organized in a number of general education and research faculties.

The Military Academy Charles Ntchorere, commonly known as the Prytanee Militaire of Saint Louis, was created in 1922.

The École française Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry, a French international school serving preschool through collège (junior high school), is located in Saint-Louis.

Notable inhabitants

Saint Louis has been the birthplace or home of:

  • El Hadj Malick Sy
  • Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké
  • Alfred-Amédée Dodds
  • Jean-Baptiste Labat, Abbé David Boilat, Daniel Brattier, Catholic clergymen
  • Michel Adanson, naturalist
  • Louis Faidherbe
  • Blaise Diagne, Lamine Guèye, politicians
  • Mbarick Fall aka Battling Siki, boxer
  • El Hadji Diouf, football player
  • Bamba Fall, BK VEF Rīga center
  • François-Edmond Fortier, French photographer
  • Badara Ndiaye (born 1986), Senegalese visual concept developer and fashion designer
  • Marieme Faye Sall, former First Lady of Senegal
  • Ismaïla Sarr, football player
  • Abdoulaye Seye, sprinter & footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Saint-Louis is twinned with:

  • Lille, France (1978)
  • Fez, Morocco (1979)
  • Liège, Belgium (1980)
  • Bologna, Italy (1991)
  • St. Louis, United States (1994)

References

  • Aïdara, Abdoul Hadir (2005), Saint-Louis du Sénégal: d'hier à aujourd'hui, Grandvaux, Brinon-sur-Sauldre.

Bibliography

  • Senegal's decaying city of charm, Tidiane Sy, BBC News, 13 May 2005.
  • saintlouisdusenegal.com: "Le portail touristique et culturel de Saint-Louis du Senegal". Saint-Louis news and culture portal.
  • Saint-Louis du Sénégal, Ville de l'élégance et du raffinement, Radio France International, 2004.

Events in Saint-Louis, Senegal

  • saintlouisjazz.com
  • festivalmetissons.com