In Bargny and other coastal villages of Senegal, traditional fishing and processing of the catch is a livelihood and a pride

Hit by COVID, Senegal's women find renewed hope in fishing

SENEGAL
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, 10:00 (GMT + 9)

The following is an excerpt from an article published by The Associated Press:

BARGNY, Senegal (AP) — Since her birth on Senegal’s coast, the ocean has always given Ndeye Yacine Dieng life. Her grandfather was a fisherman, and her grandmother and mother processed fish. Like generations of women, she helps support her family in the small community of Bargny by drying, smoking, salting and fermenting the catch brought home by male villagers. They were baptized by fish, these women say.

Shore of Bargny beach, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Dakar, Senegal.Photo: Leo Correa/AP

But when the pandemic struck, boats that once took as many as 50 men out to sea carried only a few. Many residents were too terrified to leave home, let alone fish, for fear of catching the virus. When local women managed to get their hands on fish to process, they lacked buyers, as markets shut down and neighboring countries closed borders. Without savings, many families went from three daily meals to one or two.

Dieng is among more than a thousand women in Bargny, and many more in other villages dotting Senegal’s coast, who process fish — the crucial link in a chain that constitutes one of the country’s largest exports and employs hundreds of thousands of its residents.

Bargny town fish smoke processing Photo: Leo Correa/AP

“It was catastrophic — all of our lives changed,” Dieng said. But, she noted, “Our community is a community of solidarity.”

That spirit sounds throughout Senegal with the motto “Teranga,” a word in the Wolof language for hospitality, community and solidarity. People tell each other: “on est ensemble,” a French phrase meaning “we are in this together.”

Last month, the first true fishing season since the pandemic kicked off, bringing renewed hope to processors, their families and the village. The brightly painted vast wooden fishing boats called pirogues once again each carry dozens of men to sea, and people swarm the beach to help fishermen carry in their loads.

Bargny town fish smoke processing Photo: Leo Correa/AP

But challenges from the coronavirus — and so much more — remain. Rising seas and climate change threaten livelihoods and homes; many can’t afford to build new structures or move inland. A steel processing plant rising near Bargny’s beach raises fears about pollution and will join a cement factory nearby.

“Since there is COVID, we live in fear,” said Dieng, 64, who has seven adult children. “Most of the people here and women processors have lived a difficult life. ... Little by little, it’s getting better.”

Dieng and fellow processors weathered the pandemic by relying on each other. They’re accustomed to being breadwinners — one expert estimated that each working woman in Senegal feeds seven or eight family members. Before the pandemic, a good season could bring Dieng 500,000 FCFA ($1,000). Last year, she said, she made little to nothing.(continues...)

Author: CARLEY PETESCH /AP | Read the full article by clicking the link here
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This story is part of a yearlong series on how the pandemic is impacting women in Africa, most acutely in the least developed countries. AP’s series is funded by the European Journalism Centre’s European Development Journalism Grants program, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. AP is responsible for all content.

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