In 1914, a plague epidemic, struck the city of Dakar. One of the hygiene measures taken by the French governing administration at the time was to evict all the indigenous inhabitants of the "city center" towards the periphery, hence the creation of the historic district of the Medina. This measure undoubtedly constituted one of the greatest insults of space management in times of health crisis in the history of Senegal, although it was at the origin of the creation of one of the most important districts of Dakar, a home of activism, revolution and strong community building.
Faced with the Covid-19 crisis, we are again faced with a space management dilemma for controlling the spread of the virus. Knowing that social lifestyles are such that it is difficult to radically delimit spaces as we have seen in other countries, what would be the ideal management of our spaces post-crisis? What strategies should we adopt without threatening the sense of community that is deeply rooted in our lifestyles?
Carole Diop, architect and cultural actor, generously shares with us her reflections on these questions.
Carole Diop is Founder and Publication Director of the journal Afrikadaa. This young architect graduated from ENSAPVS, and now practices in Dakar where she settled after her studies. Carole Diop chairs the Afrikadaa association in Dakar, which actively participates in Senegalese cultural life, in particular with the setting up of SN Art, monthly cultural meetings that allow cultural players from all backgrounds to discuss issues related to the development of the creative industries in Senegal.
Carole was also the representative of Senegal at the World Forum of Young Architects.