Things to see and do Mid-West

Created in 1966 by President Léopold Sédar Senghor, the aim of the Thiès Tapestry Manufactures or "tapestries of Thiès" is to transpose original works by Senegalese artists selected through calls for tender into decorative artworks: weaving, ceramics, mosaics, hanging, etc. Today, only the tapestry remains. The visit of the workshop is very interesting since it explains the different stages of the realization: transposition of the canvas on a cardboard, installation on the loom, weaving, etc.. Some of these works are exhibited and on sale in a room adjoining the factory. The place is spacious, which allows the different canvases to be displayed, all very colourful, some figurative, others more abstract. The original paintings can only be reproduced eight times in the form of tapestry. They are all on sale, starting at 600,000 FCFA per square metre. The catalogue is available on site, and it is possible to place an order by paying a deposit. Even if the Beaux-Arts consider the tapestries a bit too conservative, Thiès remains a reference for all of Africa and far beyond in terms of this art. Many of these works can be found in Senegalese institutions, but also in the palaces of heads of state or in world organizations. One of the most famous, a magnificent tapestry of 24 m² representing the Magal of Touba, pavilion since late 2012 the headquarters of the United Nations.

Colonial architecture has not really survived the passage of time and few towns and districts, although colonised for centuries by France, have not yet seen modern buildings and dwellings take root. The Ibrahima Sarr neighbourhood, named after the famous trade union leader of the great railway workers' strike in 1947-1948, is one of them. Rather calm compared to the hustle and bustle of Thies, it is an opportunity to discover beautiful colonial residences that cohabit with trees dating from the same period. A pleasant stroll.

Located in the city centre of Thiès, opposite the Senegalese Manufactures of Decorative Arts, the Regional Museum of Thiès took up residence in 1995 inside the old city fort, which has remained in its original state. It is a small museum, in very poor condition, but the current curator, Pierre-André Coly, will be pleased to show you around its collections, classified in small pavilions, including one devoted to the railways and their history in the region. You will also discover the ancient artistic universe of the kingdom of Cayor.

It was founded by Sheikh Makhone Diop, the country's first sculptor and foundryman. Today, it is his son, Issa Diop, who has taken over this famous foundry. After perfecting his skills at the Modern Patern Foundery in Los Angeles, he went to meet the traditional foundrymen of West Africa to learn from their techniques. Here, they are working on bronze using the lost wax technique. The sculptures mainly represent knights, warriors or the kings of Baol or Djolof and are often very expensive.

You enter through the library door on the east side and exit on the opposite side through the west door. Licensed guides (ask them for their maps) give interesting information about the mosque and the Mouride brotherhood. Entrance is free, but you have to think about the guide at the exit... Be careful! Pants for men, headscarf and long skirt for women. We can also provide what you need on the spot. Facing the mosque, all in white and pink marble, stucco and teak, gives an idea of the size of the brotherhood and the influence it can have on its followers. The building was built between 1927 and 1963, before being enlarged in 1987. It has a central minaret 87 m high, four corner minarets and a total of fourteen purple domes. The minarets each represent the five pillars of Islam. In the main dome is the tomb of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride brotherhood. Five other mausoleums house other important khalifes. Every Friday, 800 carpets are installed for the great prayer. About 10,000 Muslims gather there, and men and women are of course separated. But the devotion of the faithful is most noticeable during the annual pilgrimage to Touba, due to any good mouride: the Grand Magal. Established in July 1928 by the sheikh's first khalif, the Magal glorifies the triumphant return of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba from his exile in Gabon. It seems then that a part of Senegal is emptying to come and populate the city.

Mboro is located on this very fertile strip of land called the Niayes, which stretches from Dakar to Saint-Louis. Just behind the sand dunes and before the savannah and then the Sahel, Senegal has a geographical curiosity characterized by depressions that turn here and there into a lake, a marigot or a palm grove, real islands of greenery inhabited by birds, and which contrast with the surrounding landscapes. In Mboro, the women have transformed them into market gardens and sell fruit and vegetables every day at the market.