Thiaroye
Encyclopedia
Thiaroye is the name of a historic town in Sénégal
, situated in the suburbs of Dakar
, on the southeast coast of the Cap-Vert
peninsula, between Pikine
and Rufisque
.
Since the administrative reform in 1996, Thiaroye has been divided into independent communes, Thiaroye-Gare, Thiaroye-sur-Mer and Thiaroye-Kao (or Djiddah Thiaroye Kao), with Guinaw-Rail Nord, Guinaw-Rail Sud (both to the west), and Tivaouane-Diacksao (to the east) split off and separating Thiaroye-sur-Mer from the other two inland communes.
Thiaroye is most known for, and its name has become emblematic of, a single incident in 1944: the Thiaroye Massacre
.
(région de Dakar
). The three communes are governed as a single entity, but retain some administrative independence.
(a city of almost 1 million people), Nimzat, Yeumbeul, Thiaroye Kao, Diaksaw and Darou Rahmane.
Thiaroye-sur-Mer is bordered by Bel-Air, Hann-Montagne, Pikine, Guinaw-Rails, Tivaouane
, Diammagueun, Mbaw Gou Ndaw and Gorée
.
Thiaroye-Kao, border Yeumbeul, Boun and Darou Rahmane.
As of 2002 the population of Thiaroye-Gare has grown to 21,873, Thiaroye-sur-Mer to 36,602, and that of Thiaroye-Kao to 90,586.
As of 2007 official estimates put the population of the three communes at 24,867, 41,612 and 102,985.
Thiaroye-Gare is named for the large train station on the line leading to Dakar, and continues to be a major transport center. Goods and people travelling to and from Dakar must pass here, and it is one of the reasons neighboring Pikine
was founded as a relocation camp in 1952.
Small scale industry, artisanal trades and commerce make up much of the rest of the economy, though unemployment remains high, as in other outer suburbs, which see regular immigration from rural areas.
for products including lead
, has created a highly publicised wave of childhood illnesses. In the past, local blacksmith
s of the Thiaroye Sur Mer area had salvaged lead from car batteries to fashion into net weights for the nearby fishing industry. In the mid 2000s, as the world price of lead increased, purchasing agents from India
offered large payments for lead, leading locals to sift tailings from smithyies' and breakers' yards for lead pellets, usually by hand. Lead poisoning
of children born to workers, or those who were exposed to the lead dust created by sifting, climbed. As of the end of 2008m, this pollution has been blamed for at least 18 deaths and hundreds of poisoning related illnesses, along with uncounted deaths of animals and human miscarriages. A much publicised government cleanup campaign has, according to the World Health Organization
, been ineffective, and plans are under study to move entire neighbourhoods in the town.
, Casamance
, and Keur Massar. The train line (the Petit train bleu) from Dakar stops at the very center of the market, making it easy for city residents to shop there, and avoiding the higher city prices.
Around the produce market have grown markets for general manufactures, one of the largest lumber markets in Dakar, and wholesale companies supplying markets in city center. There are over 4500 formal traders, almost that many street sellers and a thousand or more wholesale shops surrounding the market. The lumber market has also drawn artisanal woodcarvers and an industry selling wood for barbarque cooking at festivals and family celebrations.
, Camp de Thiaroye, long métrage en couleurs, 1988, 147' Thiaroye sur Mer, entre l'océan and les industries, film documentaire, 1998, 13'
à Thiaroye-sur-Mer, 28 mai 2006) Histoire de Thiaroye-Gare Présentation de la commune d'arrondissement de Djiddah Thiaroye Kao « 1er décembre 1944 : le massacre du camp de Thiaroye » (article de Hervé Mbouguen, 23 octobre 2003)Camp de Thiaroye (extrait vidéo sur le site de la Médiathèque des Trois Mondes)/Website of the Centre de recherches océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT).
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, situated in the suburbs of Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, on the southeast coast of the Cap-Vert
Cap-Vert
Cap-Vert is a peninsula in Senegal, and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Old World mainland. Originally called Cabo Verde or "Cape Green" by Portuguese explorers, it is not to be confused with the Cape Verde islands, which are some further west...
peninsula, between Pikine
Pikine
Pikine is a city in the Pikine Department of the Dakar Region of Senegal. Lying to the east of Dakar city centre, in 2005 it had a population of 834,246. The departement includes the villages of Yeumbeul, Thiaroye, Mbao, and Keur Massar Malika...
and Rufisque
Rufisque
Rufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 . In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar....
.
Since the administrative reform in 1996, Thiaroye has been divided into independent communes, Thiaroye-Gare, Thiaroye-sur-Mer and Thiaroye-Kao (or Djiddah Thiaroye Kao), with Guinaw-Rail Nord, Guinaw-Rail Sud (both to the west), and Tivaouane-Diacksao (to the east) split off and separating Thiaroye-sur-Mer from the other two inland communes.
History
The village of Thiaroye was founded sometime around 1800, and as the city of Dakar, created by the French, expanded in the 20th century, Thiaroye was slowly merged into the larger city.Thiaroye is most known for, and its name has become emblematic of, a single incident in 1944: the Thiaroye Massacre
Thiaroye Massacre
The Thiaroye Massacre was the mutiny by and mass killing of French West African troops by French forces in November/December 1944. West African conscripts of the tirailleurs sénégalais units of the French army mutinied against poor conditions and revocation of pay at the Thiaroye camp, on the...
.
Administration and politics
Thiaroye is in the Pikine DepartmentPikine Department
' is one of the departments of Senegal, located in the Dakar Region. Its capital is Pikine....
(région de Dakar
Dakar Region
Dakar région is the smallest and most populated région of Senegal, encompassing the capital city of the country, Dakar, and all its suburbs along the Cap–Vert Peninsula, Africa's most westerly point.-Administration:...
). The three communes are governed as a single entity, but retain some administrative independence.
Physical Geography
Thiaroye-Gare, closest to Dakar, is bordered by PikinePikine
Pikine is a city in the Pikine Department of the Dakar Region of Senegal. Lying to the east of Dakar city centre, in 2005 it had a population of 834,246. The departement includes the villages of Yeumbeul, Thiaroye, Mbao, and Keur Massar Malika...
(a city of almost 1 million people), Nimzat, Yeumbeul, Thiaroye Kao, Diaksaw and Darou Rahmane.
Thiaroye-sur-Mer is bordered by Bel-Air, Hann-Montagne, Pikine, Guinaw-Rails, Tivaouane
Tivaouane
-History:Tivaouane was part of the Wolof kingdom of Cayor, and was at one time its capital. It was first described to Europeans in the 15th century by Venitian explorer Luigi Cada-Mosto....
, Diammagueun, Mbaw Gou Ndaw and Gorée
Gorée
Île de Gorée Île de Gorée Île de Gorée (i.e. "Gorée Island"; is one of the 19 communes d'arrondissement (i.e. "commune of arrondissement") of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is a island located at sea from the main harbor of Dakar ....
.
Thiaroye-Kao, border Yeumbeul, Boun and Darou Rahmane.
Population
As of 2007 official estimates put the population of the three communes at 24,867, 41,612 and 102,985.
Economic activity
Thiaroye continues to be integrated economically into Dakar, with much of the population commuting to the city center for work.Thiaroye-Gare is named for the large train station on the line leading to Dakar, and continues to be a major transport center. Goods and people travelling to and from Dakar must pass here, and it is one of the reasons neighboring Pikine
Pikine
Pikine is a city in the Pikine Department of the Dakar Region of Senegal. Lying to the east of Dakar city centre, in 2005 it had a population of 834,246. The departement includes the villages of Yeumbeul, Thiaroye, Mbao, and Keur Massar Malika...
was founded as a relocation camp in 1952.
Small scale industry, artisanal trades and commerce make up much of the rest of the economy, though unemployment remains high, as in other outer suburbs, which see regular immigration from rural areas.
Pollution
One outgrowth of small scale industry in Thiaroye has been a high rate of pollution and pollution-related diseases. One recent form of income, the salvaging of automobile batteriesCar battery
An automotive battery is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies electric energy to an automobile. Usually this refers to an SLI battery to power the starter motor, the lights, and the ignition system of a vehicle’s engine...
for products including lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, has created a highly publicised wave of childhood illnesses. In the past, local blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
s of the Thiaroye Sur Mer area had salvaged lead from car batteries to fashion into net weights for the nearby fishing industry. In the mid 2000s, as the world price of lead increased, purchasing agents from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
offered large payments for lead, leading locals to sift tailings from smithyies' and breakers' yards for lead pellets, usually by hand. Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
of children born to workers, or those who were exposed to the lead dust created by sifting, climbed. As of the end of 2008m, this pollution has been blamed for at least 18 deaths and hundreds of poisoning related illnesses, along with uncounted deaths of animals and human miscarriages. A much publicised government cleanup campaign has, according to the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
, been ineffective, and plans are under study to move entire neighbourhoods in the town.
Market
Thiaroye-Gare market is situated along the border with Pikine near the Thiaroye station, and is the largest produce market in the Dakar region, fed by suppliers from Nyayes, Cap-VertCap-Vert
Cap-Vert is a peninsula in Senegal, and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Old World mainland. Originally called Cabo Verde or "Cape Green" by Portuguese explorers, it is not to be confused with the Cape Verde islands, which are some further west...
, Casamance
Casamance
Casamance is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance and Haute Casamance...
, and Keur Massar. The train line (the Petit train bleu) from Dakar stops at the very center of the market, making it easy for city residents to shop there, and avoiding the higher city prices.
Around the produce market have grown markets for general manufactures, one of the largest lumber markets in Dakar, and wholesale companies supplying markets in city center. There are over 4500 formal traders, almost that many street sellers and a thousand or more wholesale shops surrounding the market. The lumber market has also drawn artisanal woodcarvers and an industry selling wood for barbarque cooking at festivals and family celebrations.
Institutions
Thiaroye is also the home of the Centre de recherches océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT), and a large mental hospital.Filmography
Ousmane SembèneOusmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène , often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer...
, Camp de Thiaroye, long métrage en couleurs, 1988, 147' Thiaroye sur Mer, entre l'océan and les industries, film documentaire, 1998, 13'
External links
« Quitter Dakar » (reportage RFIRadio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
à Thiaroye-sur-Mer, 28 mai 2006) Histoire de Thiaroye-Gare Présentation de la commune d'arrondissement de Djiddah Thiaroye Kao « 1er décembre 1944 : le massacre du camp de Thiaroye » (article de Hervé Mbouguen, 23 octobre 2003)Camp de Thiaroye (extrait vidéo sur le site de la Médiathèque des Trois Mondes)/Website of the Centre de recherches océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye (CRODT).