Dakar: High Art Capital of the Black Globe

Greetings Reader–

If you've ever sit down with a Senegalese person, it's quite likely you've seen the glow radiating from their aura. There's something about the form, language and carriage of the Senegalese that just screams Black pride.

It would seem that the dream of Senghor–Senegal's first post-independence president–has crystallized in the average Senegalese' identity.

One of the key shapers of the Negritude movement, Senghor saw art as central to national identity and to governmental design. The poet-president's cultural theories became the DNA of Senegal's political structure, and it shows in the nation-building Artists that the country has produced.

Though controversial for maintaining strong ties with the French, Senghor's policies facilitated relative stability in Senegal, along with strong cultural institutions.

Institutions like Cheikh Anta Diop University, named for the scholar who proved to the world that the Ancient Egyptians were Black Africans, situate Senegal as the pinnacle of West African intellect.

Their deep cultural pride may explain how well the Senegal Lions held their heads up in the face of Moroccan anti-Blackness during AFCON and beyond.

None can deny that the 'post-colonial' intention to rebuild the Senegalese persona from the inside out paid off–in producing generations with deep cultural intelligence, institutional strength and aesthetic authority.

This week we celebrate the precise, high-end, premium aesthetic emerging from Dakar, the global vanguard of Black art; while examining the country's contradictions in the global current.

These are our stories.

This issue brought to you by:

NOIR Labs, Co

After serving clients like Verizon, Yale, Amazon and others, our talent is focused on serving figures and institutions who desire to intersect tech and storytelling to maximize their impact and solvency.

​Book a Strategy Session​

​Learn about our Strategic Storytelling services​

Got questions? Just hit reply or text us!

​Write for noirpress​

​Invest or Hire Us.

​Read in Browser.​