Friday, February 20, 2015


Samba is the cultural ambassador to the Baobab Center. In his late forties, he lives in his family's compound in Dakar "we transported the village to the city". He is the afternoon tea maker for the office, an essential job; if there were one job of a cultural ambassador this would be it. He serves teas number one, two and three, spaced out over a few hours. He brings each glass to you on a plastic frisbee turned upside down, and always comes back to retrieve the glass. No matter where you're sitting, he'll find you. His outfits always match. Each day he comes to show you his outfit, and asks, would you like one too? He can get it for you no problem, what is your size? When Senegal played in the African National cup, he stripped down to his shorts and undershirt in the lecture room to put on his Senegal jersey and shorts. He jogged laps around the table, laughing. He invited me to lunch when I first arrived, and I stayed, a prisoner of taranga, for lunch and dinner, at 6pm. I'm not too sure what a cultural ambassador should do, but I think he does it perfectly.

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