Once an emblematic landmark of traditional west African architecture, Dakar's fondly remembered Sandaga market can now only be marvelled at through old photographs. Sandaga is just one of the many historic buildings in Senegal's ever-expanding capital victim either to the march of modernisation or the clamour for greater profits from property developers.
The distinctive concrete market hall was constructed in 1933, with its geometric earthen appearance inspired by mosques found in Africa's Sahel region. It served not only as a symbol of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, but a meeting point that formed part of Dakar's very identity, architect Carole Diop told a small tour group in the city.
Authorities demolished the market in 2021 as the structure threatened to collapse. The following year, the same fate met the maternity ward of Dakar's Le Dantec hospital, an impressive white building constructed in the first decades of the 20th century featuring openwork windows and bright red colonnades.
Both Sandaga and Le Dantec are set to be rebuilt, but in a modern architectural style. Their story reflects a familiar pattern in Dakar, where most historic buildings are either already in ruins or under threat of being demolished and replaced with a larger, impersonal alternative. "Unfortunately, the historic part (of Dakar) is gradually disappearing," said Diop.
"Many buildings that were listed... have been de-listed and demolished, including emblematic buildings," she added. The degradation and destruction mainly impact historic and Art Deco buildings from the French colonial era, as well as Modernist and Brutalist styles which appeared around the independence period in the 1960s.
{{/usCountry}}"Many buildings that were listed... have been de-listed and demolished, including emblematic buildings," she added. The degradation and destruction mainly impact historic and Art Deco buildings from the French colonial era, as well as Modernist and Brutalist styles which appeared around the independence period in the 1960s.
{{/usCountry}}Construction is a lucrative business in Dakar, which is attracting greater numbers of foreign and Senegalese residents and where the population has almost doubled since 2000 to reach some four million.
‘Inventory before disappearance’
"One of the main causes of this situation is pressure on land and property speculation," said Diop. "In Dakar, a square metre costs around 3,000 euros ($3,120), we find ourselves in a situation where buildings, even if they have historic value, are worth less than the land they stand on".
Faced with the rush for land, Diop and her colleague Xavier Ricou have begun an "inventory before disappearance" of some 400 buildings which they consider "remarkable". The pair have also written a book detailing the urban history of Dakar, which has long been an artistic and intellectual hub.
The work contains a battle cry to "save" the soul of the city. "We refuse to see Senegal as a blank page where everything has to be rebuilt; we refuse to lose our identity and our soul in this race for immediate profit," it reads. It is important to "know where we come from, what bricks we are made of", said Ricou, adding that Dakar's heritage was "part of that history".
But this value "is not fully shared by the authorities", said Ricou, who fondly remembers the Dakar of his youth yet to be plagued by the traffic jams afflicting the modern city. The present-day city is polluted, aggressive and suffocated by an exploding population, he said.
‘Complete overhaul’
In his tranquil home just off Dakar's coast on Goree island, Ricou stores engravings, postcards, glass plates and old photographs -- some dating back more than 150 years. But the proliferation of building sites continues apace, with those involved in conservation stuck with limited room to manoeuvre.
Oumar Badiane, the Director of National Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, told AFP he did not have the power to halt new construction sites. Only the Bureau of Architecture and Historic Monuments is authorised to do so, he said, adding that they only sometimes succeeded.
Most of the time, buildings are destroyed by surprise at the weekend or during the night. Badiane blamed previous administrations for the destruction of many listed buildings in recent years. "When the project is carried out by a specialised state agency, housed directly in the Presidency of the Republic, you can imagine what that entails," he said.
The penalties for demolitions are rarely applied and are not sufficiently high to dissuade lucrative construction projects. "The whole system needs to be changed," said Badiane, urging "a complete overhaul of the law". He said he hopes Senegal's new leaders will act on the situation, having swept to power in 2024 promising radical change in the west African country. If not, "it will be a disaster", he said.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.