reportage Troubled Waters
Senegal is a seafaring nation. Fish has been a primary food source for thousands of years, and the coastline is peppered with the small fishing villages which have fed themselves and plied their trade for generations. These villages are not picturesque: the crude cinder-block construction of their houses gives them a rather down-at-heel look. Their people are poor, but for the time being, at least, they are still working. In Kayar, one such village, every fish that is caught is used in some way. The best, the choice species which will reach a decent price on the open market, are sold to merchants who transport them throughout West Africa. Some are sold and consumed locally. Other kinds of fish are dried or smoked, in a large area adapted for the purpose on the outskirts of the village, for consumption in the off-season. The heads and skins of these, and the small fry, are used as chicken feed. Nothing goes to waste.
Spring 1997 | Gideon Mendel (Network) and related links | Archive | Back | Next | 3 of 10