Early on in the trip, we visited the U.S Embassy in Dakar, Senegal where we were briefed on safety and the current political situation in Senegal. Ironically, though the meeting was meant to be about our safety, the focus of the conversation became about how Senegal (which in many ways is still developing, might recover from the recent Trump USAID cuts -- where he cut about 90% of foreign aid contracts). 

A representative from Senegal said something fascinating to us in response to this question. Simply, "we must approach this with philosophy." This might've been a simple slip of language. In French, la philosophie, mostly has the connotations of "rigorous thinking," which is likely what he meant. But hearing him say the word this way made me understand the importance of the humanities and arts In an ever globalizing world focused on STEM education. When your back is against the wall, when there Is no Chat GPT, no Google, no "quick fix," you must approach things with "philosophy." It Is our capacity for new ideas which can help change the future,  the creative and divergent thinking which is most often fostered in non-STEM fields. This is doubly ironic, as we learned during the visit that Senegal is actively trying to utilize more technology in schools. Meanwhile, in the states we are actively combating the over-use of technology. 

Standing at roughly 171 feet at the top of a tall staircase, is the African Renaissance Monument. Words and pictures cannot describe how grand It is. It depicts a man holding a woman and a child (depicting the importance of the African family, and harkening towards the future). The statue points towards the Atlantic Ocean in the direction of the Statue of Liberty. Overtime, the bronze statue will oxidize and turn green (as the Statue of Liberty did long ago) accordingly, the statue was meant to be an offering towards the African diaspora, while also speaking to the "freedom"  once symbolized by America. 

Unbeknownst to the naked eye, the inside of it is actually a museum that details the development of Senegal and the impact of the Slave Trade on West Africa. This is my first time in West Africa, and my first time seeing such an intentional effort to bridge the connections between the Africa diaspora. It is heartwarming and prescient. Afterwards, my Fulbright colleagues and I discuss our desire for every Black American child to visit West Africa, and the implications of such a possibility. 

One of our consultants and tour guides, a Senegalese native, glibly alerts our attention to the fact that the statue "coincidentally" looks like Abdoulaye Wade, the third president of Senegal who commissioned the project. 

Kaolack, Senegal 

We spent the next roughly twelve days in Kaolack, Senegal, which was about three hours southeast of the capital, and is much more rural than Dakar. I spent most of my time at the Valdiodio Ndiaye Junior High School. Where I taught English lessons, did classroom observations, and interviewed staff and students. Additionally, we went on cultural excursions and had home visits with our host families. 

Kaolack as a city is bustling with tons of energy. Street markets, young boys on mopeds providing transportation, general pedestrians, and even livestock riddle the streets. It's vibrant and populated, but there still seems to be a sense of community and coherence.  Nevertheless, outside of Dakar one can feel the urgency of the need for development. Many buildings were unfinished, and the commercial buildings were separated by wide and long stretches of land, often sprinkled with litter. 

Traveling outside of the city can be precarious. Not because of any Inherently dangerous people, but rather because of corruption. Our drivers were stopped often and given tickets for usually dubious reasons. 

"It's because they see us driving foreigners," a driver told us. "They assume we have money." He goes on to tell us that one has the option to pay the ticket (an apparently cumbersome process) or offer a bribe to the police officer. Most pay the bribe to avoid the hassle. Principled individuals go through the bureaucratic hurdles. 

The vibrancy was matched only by the heat. It was extremely hot. So hot that students actually spend the afternoons at home before returning back to school for a few hours in the early evening.