Joal-Fadiouth

Fadiouth is built on an island made of shells: centuries of discarded clam shells accumulated into ground solid enough to carry a village, with shells still underfoot in every lane. A long wooden footbridge crosses the channel from Joal on the mainland. A second bridge leads to the cemetery island, where Muslim and Christian graves lie mixed together on the same slope, which is the detail the village is known for. Granaries stand on stilts on their own small islands.

History

The Serer are thought to have settled here after the Almoravid advance of the 11th century drove them from the Senegal valley, and by the late 16th century Dutch and Portuguese traders were established at Joal, with a community of Portuguese Jewish traders living there until about 1635. A Catholic mission was set up in 1850, and the first priest was ordained there in 1885 (Wikipedia, Joal-Fadiouth).

Highlights

• The shell ground - lanes and yards built on accumulated clam shells.
• The wooden bridges - long footbridges to the village and to the cemetery island.
• The shared cemetery - Muslim and Christian graves mixed on one hillside.
• The stilt granaries - storage huts raised on posts on separate islets.

When to go

November to May is dry and the most comfortable. Mornings are cooler for the walk across the bridges. Tides change the look of the channels through the day.

What to expect

Guides attach themselves at the bridge and the arrangement is best agreed before setting out. The village is small and the walk takes an hour or two. It is a living village and the cemetery is in use, so both deserve appropriate behaviour.

Nearby

Mbour is north, Palmarin is south, and the Saloum Delta begins beyond it.

Key facts