Dakar is a lively city, constantly buzzing with market activities in nearly every space and every street. It is a place where boundaries blur, be it between an official and an unofficial store or between a sidewalk and a road. Life in Dakar is public, with privacy being a luxury, and most of life is lived on the streets where pedestrians have more right of way than cars. Despite the lack of basic infrastructure, walking in Dakar is relatively safe due to the dense traffic of carts, horses, taxis, handcarts, bikes, and pedestrians.
Key Points:
- Dakar is crowded yet functional, with almost every street serving as an open-air market where a vast array of goods and services can be bought.
- There’s a blurred line between official and unofficial businesses, with the latter often operating just outside official premises like banks.
- Life in Dakar is predominantly public, with most activities happening on the streets due to the relative scarcity of privacy.
- Pedestrians have more control over the roads than vehicles, unlike in many other parts of the world.
- Despite the seeming chaos and limited infrastructure, Dakar is relatively safe for pedestrians due to the slow-moving, dense traffic.
Continue reading at https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/walking-dakar-senegal-part-1
