Market in Tambacounda and other Senegal Shopping Tips

Name of Shop: Market in Tambacounda

This is one of the liviest markets I've seen in the country. Many goods can be found here cos this city stands to be the economic centre for all the East part of the country, everyone from other parts of eastern Senegal comes here to buy goods.

What To Buy: You can buy almost everything, from china imported tissues to fruit, onions and traditional handicraft, typical senegalese painted tissues and other fabrics ,all bath and beuty products and basicaly everything you could imagine.

What To Pay: The price will depend on your hability to argue and make business. As they see you are a tourist they will double or triple te price of goods.

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Theme: Other
Directions: After the Boulevard Demba Diop turn left on the BNDS bank and youll see al the action on the street.

Name of Shop: Paintings in Goree Island

In Goree Island you have dozens of street art sellers that exhibit their traditional senegalese look like paintings on the streets and in strategic point all around the island. You'll see the paintings usually look all the same. If youre interested on buying some, you could stay talking to the artists and make pretty good business on very interesting works of art.

What To Buy: Canvas and painted tissues. Every artist have its own personal style, but the influences coma all from the same place of course. They are from senegal and they paint what they are, no doubt. Its a good chance of getting unique pices of art i say.

What To Pay: Depends on your hablity of dealing and in how many paintigs you will buy.

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Theme: Art
Directions: All around the island specialy near the old canon.

Name of Shop: Galerie Nationale d'Art-Dakar

This is a very plesant art gallery in centreville Dakar. You can go inside but not make pictures. Theres usually great Senegalese painters exhibiting there and you can have an idea of how the Senegalese contemporary art is doing nowadays.

What To Buy: For what I've seen, this should be a very good opportunity of buying very well known senegalese artists that actually live outside senegal (with international carrer) at a lower price than buying it in Paris...

What To Pay: Even though, expect to pay a lot of money. These artists are the top of senegal and in France they are worth thousands...

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Theme: Art
Phone: 0212511
Address: Rue Ramez Bourgi
Directions: center de la culture et de la comunication

Name of Shop: Marche Sandanga-Dakar

This is the most warm, strong, chaotic, cheerful, noisy, stinkful, dark market I've been to. This is a must while visiting the big city. You can buy almost everything in this big centreville 2 flights building market.

What To Buy: This market only almost sells food and food related goods. On the streets nearby you can buy other type of things specialy local handicraft.


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Theme: Food and Drink
Address: Marche Sandanga-Dakar
Directions: This market is located on the conrner of Av G Pompidou and Av A Peytavin

Name of Shop: Ritual Masks-Dakar

In Dakar, near the Port you have many streets that sell old mask. Some are fake and are atcually new just put on the sun to look old, but, if you know this subject you can find really good masterpieces at a very good price. I was ofered to buy 3 big masks for about 100euros. Only the price of one in Europe would be almost twice of three times higher.

What To Buy: Masks and old handicarft from West Africa. You have ritual mask from Mali to Ghana, to Burkina Faso to Togo. Its just a matter of choice and negociate the price.

What To Pay: The price depends on the age of the object you have in mind, its size and on your capacity of making good deals.

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Theme: Antiques
Directions: Near Hotel de Ville on BD El Hajd Djily Mbaye and Rue Berebger Feraud.

Name of Shop: Shop streets in Velingara-Border with The Gambia

Velingara is a very organized border town. Just a few kms away from The Gambian border here you can find almost everything at a very nice price. You have the main street of town full of shops full of goods and products to sell.

What To Buy: Everything you might need on a emergency.


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Theme: Other

Name of Shop: Ceramic pots Velingara

On the streets of VelingaraI found very different objects selling on the street. Actually I found that the city produces lots of different craft that is after reselled in other regions of the country. Its close contact with the border with The Gambia makes a very important place in economic terms for local people and both border cities Velingara Senegal side and Basse Santa-Su Gambian side.

What To Buy: These special and caracteristic ceramics can be found here at a very good price. People sell them on te road side on the main street heading Casamance region.


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Theme: Local Craft

Name of Shop: Arcs in Tambacounda Region

On the side of the road in many towns in Tamba Region, you can find these types or arches. they are often made with metal material and put some strange decoration aldo with metal pieces. they paint these arcs in very strong colours giving it a very odd looking objects.

What To Buy: coloured metal arcs. Sorry about the picture not being in very good shape but I took it while driving.


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Theme: Local Craft

Name of Shop: Potatoes and Onions on the road

On the side of the road in Senegal you can buy potatoes and onions by big sacks. The price is cheap.

What To Buy: Big sacks of potatoes and onions.

What To Pay: cheap

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Theme: Food and Drink