Yoff

Yoff is a Lebou village that the city grew around rather than absorbed: it keeps its own land tenure, its own councils and its own rhythm, and the fishing fleet still works off the beach in the morning. It is also the seat of the Layene, a Sufi brotherhood founded here in the nineteenth century, whose mausoleum on the shore is a pilgrimage site. Alcohol is not sold in the village, and the whole place operates on a set of conventions that visitors are expected to respect.

History

Yoff was founded in 1432 as the fishing village of Mbohehe and is one of the four original Lebou villages of the Cap-Vert peninsula; it had 89,442 people at the 2014 census (Wikipedia, Yoff).

Highlights

• The fishing beach - pirogues landing the catch through the morning surf.
• The Layene mausoleum - the brotherhood's shrine on the shore, a pilgrimage site.
• The village fabric - Lebou streets and compounds with their own governance.
• The fish market - the sorting and selling that follows the boats in.

When to go

November to May is the dry season. The boats land in the morning, which is when the beach is worth seeing. Layene pilgrimage days bring very large numbers.

Before you go

This is a conservative village with its own rules, not a tourist quarter: dress modestly, do not photograph people or the shrine without asking, and expect no alcohol. The beach is a working one and not for sunbathing.

Nearby

The Almadies point is west, and central Dakar is south.

Key facts