Cheb Shack Series in Dakar

So, I’ve been in Dakar for more than a month now healing from this massive burn, and while it takes its sweet time, there are major waves of FOMO (fear of missing out) washing over me because I’m not at my site. I wanted to be there especially for the month of MarchGADness (GAD standing for Gender and Development), which is like March Madness, but volunteers can rack up points by doing certain youth and gender activities in their community. So, about a couple weeks ago, a fellow volunteer also from Kedougou joined me in Sick Bay and we decided together that we don’t have to feel the dreaded FOMO because gender activities can be done right here in Dakar! And that’s just what we did. 

We made up a gender activity that involved having a discussion with random people at “cheb shacks” (Senegalese hubs for street food) about important gender and youth issues. Cheb, short for Chebbu Jen, is a traditional Senegalese dish made with rice lathered in oil, grilled or fried fish, boiled vegetables and sautéed onions. As for the discussions, all of them had very interesting things to say about this topic, which really helped us gain perspective on the Senegalese culture and its people. That’s why we’re in Peace Corps...right? 

Cheb Shack #1: Who makes the Cheb in your household? (gender roles in Senegalese households) 

The scene outside Cheb shack #1

Despite the slight language barrier between two Kedougou volunteers (we speak minority languages) and the people of Dakar, we were able to communicate with the peeps of Cheb Shack#1 in French. We asked a series of questions about who cooks at home, and we spoke to three regulars: a teenage boy, a man in his 30’s, and a 23 year-old. The two older men exclaimed that they can’t make Cheb and that’s a job for the women and children. On the other hand, the teenager makes Cheb for his whole family back in Guinea. All of them are unmarried, however, the 23-year old said he would want only one wife and wouldn’t mind if she wanted to work outside the house.

Cheb Shack #2: What are your thoughts on the Talibe?

The woman we interviewed and her two daughters 

Talibe are young boys that study the Quran at a school called a Daara, and you find them living in the streets of Senegal begging for food in order to learn valuable lessons about modesty. In Cheb Shack #2, we mostly talked to the woman who owned the shack about her thoughts on the Talibe. She respects this type of education and often gives her leftovers to them when they beg outside her shack. According to her, these boys have a hard life, but they tend to grow up to be tough adults. When we asked her if she would have her children in the Talibe, she stated that her son goes to Quranic school but lives at home. 

Cheb Shack #3: What are your thoughts on polygamy?

Barb talking to the peeps of Cheb Shack# 3

Me...just enjoying the food.

This discussion was interesting, which ended with one of the men asking if we wanted to be his second and third wife (joking, of course). In Senegal, the Muslim religion allows husbands to have more than one wife, so in Cheb shack #3, we asked two married men, a divorced man, and a married woman their opinions. The two men only have one wife but want more, and the women (who happened to be the Cheb shack owner!) was a second wife herself. All of them agreed that polygamy can be hard due to jealousy, financial burden, and competition amongst wives in the household. Even though the men didn’t notice that wives can be competitive with each other, Mrs. Cheb Shack Owner tried to convince them otherwise. On the other hand, she likes being a second wife because she and the first wife share household duties.  

Cheb Shack #4: What’s it like being a kid in Dakar?

The owners of Cheb Shack #4! 

For this one, we had the intention of asking questions about early marriage but realized that only children were running the shack! So, we changed course and asked a 17-year old girl and her older half-brother what their lives are like in Dakar. The 17-year old runs the shack with her sisters, and the older brother works at the local “garage” (hub for public transportation). The girl went to school, but dropped out due to a lack of interest and her brother attended high school and went straight to working. The girl aspires to go to trade school when she gets older, but all she’s ever known was work in her family’s Cheb shack. So, what about their parents? Well, their mom makes the Cheb at home and stops by every now and again to see how the business is going, and the father stays at home.

Every Cheb bowl we had was unique just like the people we interviewed, so it goes without saying that these interviews do not reflect everyone in Dakar or Senegal. But it was a lot of fun getting to know these fellow-cheb-shack-goers in Dakar and we hope to continue these interviews down in Kedougou. Watch out for Cheb shack series #2!