In Dakar, the capital of Senegal, performance artist Thierno Gueye staged a powerful demonstration on horseback along the beach to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Gueye began his performance at Yoff Beach – one of Dakar’s busiest – by performing the traditional “Ndeup” ritual, a ceremony practiced by the local Lebu ethnic group to heal spiritual or psychological ailments. As part of the ritual, Gueye danced on the sand and chanted laments in the Wolof language.
Carrying a Palestinian flag as a symbol of solidarity, Gueye then mounted his horse and rode along the coastline, attracting the attention of beachgoers.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Gueye explained the motivation behind his performance. He recalled Senegal’s longstanding support for Palestine throughout history and expressed his desire, as a Senegalese citizen, to protest the suffering occurring especially in Gaza.
“I wondered what I, as a young Senegalese, could do. I cannot go to Palestine to fight, nor do I have the power to stop Israel’s genocide. But at the very least, I wanted to draw attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people, particularly the children in Gaza. This genocide is happening before the eyes of the whole world, so I wanted to raise my voice at one of Dakar’s busiest public spaces – Yoff Beach – where I spent much of my childhood,” Gueye said.
He added that while many beach visitors initially watched the performance with surprise, they applauded when they saw the Palestinian flag being raised. Gueye also indicated he plans to continue these individual performances in the future.
Historical friendship
The ties between Senegal and Palestine date back to the 1960s, shortly after Senegal gained independence from France.
Senegal’s first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor, is well known for his support of Palestinian independence. Alongside his peers from Nigeria, Cameroon and what was then Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), Senghor participated in mediation missions in Israel on behalf of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
Since 1975, Senegal has continuously chaired the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP).
Senegal was among the first African countries to allow Palestine to open a diplomatic mission on its soil in 1989. It was also one of the first nations to grant a diplomatic passport to former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
During Senghor’s presidency, Senegal severed all diplomatic ties with Israel after the Yom Kippur War and maintained this stance until 1992. This longstanding policy has helped establish Senegal as one of Palestine’s closest allies in Africa.
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