Ouakam

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Ouakam
—  Commune d'arrondissement  —
Communes d'arrondissement of Dakar
Country	Senegal
Region	Dakar Region
Department	Dakar Department
Population (2007)
• Total	48,595
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)

Ouakam is a commune d'arrondissement of the city of Dakar, Senegal. The town is the birthplace of French politicians Ségolène Royal and Rama Yade and Senegalese writer and politician Birago Diop.

History

Ouakam is an ancient village that has been absorbed as a residential suburb of Dakar. It is situated on the Atlantic coast. The mosque of the divine was built by Mohamed gorgui Seyni Guèye (1926-2007) a holy man and messenger for the god Allah. He claimed to see the mosque in a dream and followed it to the beach on June 28, 1973, where he received an order from the Lord o build it

The African Renaissance Monument was constructed on one of the Deux Mamelles hills in Ouakam and unveiled on April 4th, 2010.

Geography

Geology

At the foot of a range of hills, the Mamelles, Ouakam features two beaches, one of which benefits from ideal wave activity which makes it well known among surfers.

Population

According to the 2002 census, the commune of Ouakam comprised 43,188 people. At the end of 2007, according to official estimates, the population had grown to 48,595 inhabitants.

Economy

Since recorded history, the Lebous people have been residing in the village of Ouakam; fishing occupied the predominant place in the community's economic activity.

Overlooked by the lighthouse of Mamelles, Ouakam benefits from its strategic location. In the colonial era, Senegalese riflemen garrisoned themselves at Ouakam, and today the community is host to a variety of military encampments: the National Military Academy, a French Army air base, and a Senegalese Air Force base.

Ouakam is also a tourist center, especially with the construction of the new Monument to the African Renaissance.

Famous individuals born in Ouakam

• Mouhamed Gorgui Seyni Gueye who built the mosquee madjidoul rabani near the beach
• Birago Diop, writer
• Ségolène Royal, French politician, was born on the military base at Ouakam where her father, Jacques Royal, was an artillery Colonel.
• Rama Yade, French politician and Secretary of State for Sports.
• mansour sora wade film writer

See also

Internal Links

• US Ouakam : The sport club of Ouakam won the Senegal Soccer Cup in 1964, 1989, and 2006.
• The association of scouts and Muslim guides of Senegal, who advocate responsible citizenship and a spirit of solidarity, charity, and service. [www.scoutsmusulmansdusenegal.skyblog.com]

Bibliography

• (English) C. T. Mbengue, « An introduction to the traditional villages of Yoff, Ngor and Ouakam  », in R. Register and B. Peeks (under the direction of), Village wisdom, future cities, 1996, Third international conference Écoville-Écovillage (Yoff, Sénégal), Ecocity Builders, Oakland, Californie, p. 82–85
• (French) Germaine Françoise Bocandé, L’implantation militaire française dans la région du Cap-Vert : causes, problèmes et conséquences des origines à 1900, Dakar, University of Dakar, 1980, 112 p. (Masters Thesis)

External links

• (English) Maps, weather and airports for Ouakam
• (French) « La vague de Ouakam » (short video of Bertil Willotte online)

v t e Commune d'arrondissements of Dakar Biscuiterie ·Cambérène ·Dieuppeul-Derklé ·Fann-Point E-Amitié ·Gueule Tapée-Fass-Colobane ·Gorée ·Grand Yoff ·Grand Dakar  ·Hann Bel-Air ·HLM ·Médina Mermoz-Sacré-Cœur ·Ngor ·Ouakam ·Parcelles Assainies ·Patte d'Oie ·Dakar-Plateau ·Sicap-Liberté ·Yoff

Coordinates: 14°43′26″N 17°29′21″W / 14.72389°N 17.48917°W / 14.72389; -17.48917