Author: smithinsky.1

Senegal: Final Information Network

Marissa Smithinsky

04/10/18

INTSTDS 4850

Senegal: Final Information Network

Traditional Periodicals:

Le Soleil: This is a regional newspaper in Senegal that focuses on the news, politics, economics, society, regions etc. It serves as a great traditional source for all the happenings in Senegal itself. The website is in French and it appears to act as a form of local news. It updates daily and it has three other main sections such as le soleil business, le soleil grand air and le soleil diaspora. It’s also interesting how it breaks up each individual section into smaller subsections such as small opinion pieces.

It can be accessed at http://www.lesoleil.sn

I chose this news source because it was the most relevant and diverse in comparison to others I came across. While domestically focused, this newspaper does a great job of reporting on many different international events and a variety of sections such as politics, economics and culture etc. I liked how they added in opinion pieces, it helped portray the culture there. One limitation of this source is that its articles are not extremely detailed and it can be difficult to navigate the website. Nevertheless, this source gives a great overarching perspective of the country of Senegal.

 

BBC news: This traditional international news source acts as a newspaper, radio station and T.V. station. Based in Britain, it also has worldwide respect and prestige as a broadcasting company. It is produced in English and updates daily. It is an excellent and trustworthy source of domestic and international news. It is divided into operational divisions and commercial divisions. The commercials divisions consist of BBC Worldwide, BBC World News, BBC Studios and BBC Studioworks.  Moreover, it has individual country profiles detailing their politics, media, population size etc.

It can be accessed at http://www.bbc.com/news

I chose this source because of its accuracy, reliability and familiarity. It not only shares domestic and international news but it does an excellent job of staying impartial.Unlike local sources, however, BBC has limitations in that it only reports on the overarching issues or events of the country. It is not able to zoom in on the ingrained cultural, and societal customs of local Senegalese life.

 

Wal Fadjri L’Aurore: This regional newspaper works as a traditional news source for Senegal. This major daily newspaper in Senegal covers articles about finance, economy, business, entertainment, sports, politics, employment, and real estate.Unlike the other traditional news sources, I have observed of Senegal, this news source gives good comprehensive coverage of the country political, social and economic viewpoints. Each article posted is longer, more detailed and covers more topics. This French newspaper is broken down into four main headings with between five to seven subheadings listed beneath each one and it has several opinion pieces. To add to the relevance of this source, the website has other major Senegalese news sources listed on their homepage.

It can be accessed at http://www.walf-groupe.com

I chose this traditional news source because of its credible and broadly serving information network. This source gives a great overview of the different viewpoints in Senegal. This can be represented through the opinion pieces posted on the website, and the diverse sections that portray the social, economic, cultural opinions and beliefs of the locals there. One setback would be the lack of sources listed on the website and its relevance in comparison to other sources. Nevertheless, this source is updated daily and appears to cover a range of different issues.

 

New Media Sources:

Senego: I chose Senego as my new media source which covers regional aspects of culture, politics and societal expectations. Senego is a mix between a news source and a buzz feed article, it’s what I would consider a popular culture website. While not literally credible, Senego gives us a good grasp of the cultural and societal expectations surrounding Senegal. It is divided into Politique, People, Sport, TV and Rubriques which then divides into smaller indexes. The whole website is in French and appears to be a frequent source for young adolescents in Senegal. This source does not update frequently. It updates monthly or every couple of months.

It can be accessed here: https://senego.com

I chose this source because I can see how it is part of popular culture. It is interesting how the website is divided into small subsections such as humor, TV and health. I think it’s a very new and modern approach to new media and gives each reader a good grasp of the trends present there. The main limitation present within this source is the lack of relevant and credible information. The articles are often extremely short and touch more on popular culture, than any significant information.

 

Seneweb.com: I chose seneweb as my new media source. This local source is interesting because it has a mixture of news, popular culture and blogs on its website. Each blog covers a different topic regarding influential people, politics and culture. Although started by Basile Niane, the blogs are written by a variety of people and appear to be very popular. These blogs are targeted towards adolescents and young adults.  What separates this website from others is that it gives the ability to a general user to add their own opinions and to even create blogs. While this may lower the credibility of seneweb, it will give more creative freedom to the Senegalese people.

It can be accessed here: www.seneweb.com

I chose this source because of its relevance to the popular culture and data dissemination of  Senegal. While most traditional news sources only contain news and some smaller subheadings such as culture. Seneweb.com encompasses creative freedom, news and the culture of Senegal. I think it is interesting the different viewpoint this gives.The website is in French and it is situated in Senegal.

 

Social Media Sources:

Amnesty Senegal: I chose this international source for the social media component of my country. Amnesty International is an organization that is well known around the world. Thus, Amnesty Sénégal is a domestic form of the organization which focuses on events and happenings in Senegal. Amnesty Sénégal is focused on the promotion and the protection of human rights in Senegal and in the World. Within this organization, there are local Senegalese working to combat human rights injustices. In this way, this source gives a credible centralized point of view of Senegal.I found their main social media site on twitter, but they are also in a sub-index on Amnesty International. Both sites are in French and contain relevant events pertaining to human rights violations and efforts.

They can be accessed at https://twitter.com/AmnestySenegalor @AmnestySenegal and http://www.amnesty.sn

I chose this source because of how closely I align with their mission. Moreover, this source provides a great reference to the efforts of Senegal in fighting human rights violations. Through these different access points, one can get a solid perspective on the who, what, where and why of Senegal’s human rights movement and advocacy. The twitter posts, in turn, present provoking commentary on different news sources throughout Senegal. In general, I would say the main limitation for this source is that it doesn’t give an overarching perspective of human rights abuses, it is very locally centralized.

 

Le Senegal: I chose Le Senegal for my social media source. Unlike my other sources, this one provides a different scope on Senegal. It provides a national viewpoint of Senegal through sports. Like most countries in the global south, sports are an innate part of their culture and I feel as though this source can give great coverage of the culture and society present in Senegal. Le Senegal is a platform on Facebook that posts up and coming events in both English and French pertaining to soccer in Senegal. It is a Media/News company situated in Dakar, Senegal and it has over 511,901 followers on Facebook.It is in French and in both languages, French and English on Facebook.

This source can be accessed on Facebook, but also at its media website http://www.lesenegal.net

I chose this source because I believe that it portrays perfectly how the Senegalese people think and act in their community. In most countries, especially in the United States, people embrace sports as a respected tradition but more so it often symbolizes the patriotism one feels for his/her country. I think that this social media source gives a great scope of how the Senegalese people see sports and more importantly their country. The main limitation of this source is that it doesn’t diversify the sports it covers or the viewpoints. It focuses on one central perspective.

 

UNFPA Senegal: I chose the UNFPA Senegal as my social media source for Senegal. Found on Facebook, Twitter and the main UNFPA website, this source encompasses many of the requirements that the other sources include that being those of traditional, data or new media sources. The UNFPA in Senegal is put in place to assure reproductive rights to all. The UNFPA stands for the United Nations Population Fund. It directly advocates and supports the reproductive health of women, guaranteeing that there is reliable health care, services and consultation for those who need it. Although UNFPA is a global initiative, it is broken into UNFPA global and UNFPA West and Central Africa. This source directly focuses on Senegal and the website is broken down into news, publications, multimedia and data visualizations. It is produced in both English and French.

It can be accessed here: http://senegal.unfpa.org/fr and on Facebook and Twitter

I chose this global source because of the insight it gives us on reproductive rights in Senegal. As Senegal is one of the lesser developed countries, it lacks many basic resources such as education, health services and proper infrastructure. I believe that this source gives a detailed and zoomed in perspective of reproductive rights in Senegal. The data visualizations help to convey the true extent of reproductive failures and successes in Senegal. The only limitation I can see with this source is the idea that it is branching off from the global UNFPA source. In this way, it has fewer resources and most likely funding regarding dissemination of information.

 

Audio/Video Sources:

Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS): This audio-based source is a local, state-run form of television and radio broadcasting in Senegal. Most audio sources in Senegal are private, as such RTS is one of the more relevant and accurate forms of broadcasting.  It operates Chaine Nationale and Senegal Internationale, Dakar FM and regional services. It is also broken up into actualités (news), emissions (channels) and many others. RTS is broadcasted in French and the website appears to have a diverse amount of news portrayed.The news presented contains sections on the local news, state-run channels and mini archives.

It can be accessed at http://www.rts.sn and on most social media sites such as Facebook, google plus, Instagram and Twitter.

I chose this audio source because I thought it encompassed well the radio coverage of Southern Africa, specifically Senegal. It was also in French, their native language which helps diversify the source. The main limitation to this source, however, would be the navigation of the website and the depth of news covered. RTS does a great job of broadcasting on a range of different news, but it does not include much detail in its articles or make it easy to navigate its website. RTS is on most social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and updates daily.

 

Radio France Internationale (RFI): This audio-based source is an international, and regional form of television and radio broadcasting in Senegal.Although situated in France, RFI has many channels that broadcast out to countries in the Global South. RFI is a French public radio service that broadcasts in Paris and to the rest of the world. It is one of the most listened to international radio stations in the world and it broadcasts 24 hours a day in 12 different languages. All channels are operated by the state company, France Médias Monde, situated in France. Moreover, RFI also covers a wide variety of different sections including economy, culture, sports, sciences, technology and sections on France itself, the international world and Africa itself.

It can be accessed at http://www.rfi.fr and is also found on several different forms of social media, those including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Dailymotion, YouTube, Soundcloud and Tune-In.

I chose this audio source because of how widely used this radio station is throughout the world. In general, radio usage in Senegal is crucial due to the present high illiteracy rate and most locals therefore only use the radio for information about the rest of the world. It is for this reason that I believe this audio source provides great coverage of Senegal. It gives an international viewpoint but also aids in the regional understanding of the country. The only limitation with this source is that it may not be completely in touch with the local viewpoints concerning societal and cultural expectations and customs.

 

Data Sources:

CIA World Factbook: This U.S. global source works as an English data source for Senegal. The CIA World Factbook is an excellent reference for an overview of a specific country. In this case, the fact book outlines Senegal through its geography, society, government, economy, energy, military etc. For each section, it provides a detailed outline of the country’s profile in general. It also gives several relevant statistics surrounding the country’s infrastructure and economic development.

This source can be accessed at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sg.html

I chose this data source because of the relevance of the CIA. The CIA is a world-renowned organization that is a credible and recognized international source. In this way, the information portrayed on the website is very accurate and reliable. I already use the CIA World Factbook for several projects I work on, so keeping up to date should not be an issue. However, as the source is only updated yearly, this database will not be the most reliable news source for updated daily news.

 

Encyclopedia Britannica: This U.S. and UK news source works as a data news source for Senegal. The Encyclopedia Britannica works almost identically to the way the CIA World Factbook does, in that it is an excellent reference which gives a great overarching view of a specific country. In this case, it would be Senegal. The Encyclopedia Britannica is a general knowledge English-language encyclopedia that is shared between the U.S. and the UK. This data news source is broken into several different subsections which cover the country of Senegal. The most prominent being the Introduction and Quick Facts, Land, People, Economy, Government and Society, Cultural life and History. Within each of these headings are smaller more detailed subheadings.

This source can be accessed at https://www.britannica.com/place/Senegal

I chose this data source because of its prominence as an internationally renowned reference for relevant information on the world. Encyclopedia Britannica is a global educational publisher that promotes knowledge and learning. It is also one of the oldest English-language encyclopedias still in production. In fact, this shows that Encyclopedia Britannica has been respected andis a trustworthy source of information. It is for these reasons that I  believe this source give good comprehensive coverage of Senegal. This source will not be updated regularly and for this reason, this source will provide a great background on Senegal, but not necessarily up and coming news. Moreover, as this is a worldwide source, it will not be as relevant to the local culture and societal expectations of Senegal.

 

Europa World Plus Database: This global news source works as a data news source for Senegal. This source is produced in English and covers the historical, geographical, economic, and political profiles of 250 countries and global regions. It is the online version of the Europa World Year Book. This database gives a great overview of Senegal. It consists of several subheadings such as the Country Profile, Country Statistics and the Directory. Within each category there are much more detailed aspects of the country such as the statistics concerning population, mining, industry and finances etc. This database is great for Senegal because it pays attention to detail and includes several different domains to obtain information from.

It can be accessed at http://www.europaworld.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/entry/sn

I chose this source because of its relevance and world-renowned resources. This online version produces impartial and efficient background information on the country of Senegal and 249 other countries. This database has been utilized by the media, major business, companies, governmental agencies and libraries for its credible information. It provides an overarching perspective of the country for the international world. A limitation of this source would be the idea that it is not addressing the local perspective of the people. Simply fact-based and written by experts, the societal expectation and culture are not addressed within the database. As this source is updated yearly, I will use it as background information for Senegal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Football : Voici les 19 noms déjà cochés, plus que 4 places à prendre…Regardez

The coach of the national soccer team in Senegal states that he and his team already have a solid idea of who they plan to take for the World Russia 2018 tour. He stated that this selection is not based purely on talent or that “he is the present or future of Senegal”, but because of how they have stuck by his side and always been with him. Aliou Cissé, the national coach, states that there are only a few seats available. Therefore, this is going to be a very difficult decision.

In general, soccer in Senegal is one of national pride and respect. The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football.

Aliou Cissé states that although there are only 2 months left, the national team is not closed yet. There is still room for players with new and improved talent. They are still willing to add to the list in this way.

In fact, the World Russia 2018 tour is going to be one of great prestige and honor. It is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018 and it will host the men’s national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It will involve 32 national teams, which the finalists will end in Moscow, Russia.

There is a lot of pressure to choose the right players and Aliou Cissé is confident he will make the right decision.

 

Citation: “Football : Voici les19 Noms Déjà Cochés, plus Que 4 Places à Prendre…Regardez.” Sénégal, www.lesenegal.net/football-voici-les19-noms-deja-coches-plus-que-4-places-a-prendreregardez/.

“450 Électeurs Pour Désigner Le Prochain Président De La Fédération Sénégalaise De Football.” 2stv Senegal, 25 Aug. 2013, 2stv.net/450-electeurs-pour-designer-le-prochain-president-de-la-federation-senegalaise-de-football/.

 

Incinération de produits contrefaits à Saint-louis

The Senegalese government is implementing a new set of tactics to prevent the trafficking of counterfeit goods. On this list of counterfeit goods, there are pharmaceutical, cosmetic and veterinary products, as well as counterfeit cigarettes.

On Tuesday, January 30th, around 102 million CFA francs worth of counterfeit goods were incinerated in a technical landfill. This landfill was located in Gandon, in the municipality of Saint-Louis and the event was observed by high ranking officials.

The trafficking of counterfeit goods has been a large problem in the area of Saint-Louis and many customs and high ranking officials have been given the job of observing and regulating its usage. Moreover, on that Tuesday,  the burning of the counterfeit goods took place in the presence of the heads of the customs services and the gendarmerie, and of Sahite Fall, a deputy of the governor, in charge of the questions of development of the region.  This was done in a way so as to guarantee security measures were reinforced.

According to Lieutenant-Colonel Abdoulaye Diallo of the customs subdivision of the Saint-Louis region, customs and the gendarmerie are working closely together to enforce the ban on counterfeit goods. Diallo appealed to the Senegalese people and asked that they avoid counterfeit items. If found with these items, there will be major repercussions, he stated.

 

Works Cited:

“Incinération De Produits Contrefaits à Saint-Louis.” Accueil, www.rts.sn/node/32754.

“L’usage de la torture ne sert à rien et fait encourir à nos agents des risques énormes”

While used in the past as an army tactic, the practice of torture in the Senegalese brigades and the army is being put to rest according to Mouhamadou Moustapha Diagne, the coordinator in charge of growth, training, and activism in AI Senegal. He believes that rather than producing results, it incurs great risks on their agents and should be completely abolished.

Going alongside this, Amnesty International for Senegal is working to establish basic structures that address human rights injustices. Just like having the right to safety and free will, Diagne’s goal to abolish torture directly correlates with these new policies. In this way, Amnesty International is providing “a legal and legitimate framework” to the people of Senegal for which they can address these different injustices.

Authority figures such as Chief Warrant Officer Abdourahmane Diallo of the Dagana army and the president of the county court Bernard Diouma Faye strongly believe in the implementation of these “new local groups” to stop injustice in Senegal. Moreover, they are working closely with Amnesty International to carry out campaigns and clubs focused on civil rights in public and private high schools.

 

Overall, this new idea is likely to provide an avenue to which the people living in Senegal, specifically the regions of Dagana (Saint-Louis region) and Linguère (Louga region) can freely express themselves without fear of major repercussions. However, saying that there are likely to be some caveats, in which this process will be lengthy.

 

 

 

Citations:

leral.net, La rédaction de. “Amnesty International Sénégal : Intégralité du Rapport annuel 2017/2018.” Leral.net – S’informer en temps réel, www.leral.net/Amnesty-International-Senegal-Integralite-du-Rapport-annuel-2017-2018_a221303.html

“”Lusage de la torture ne sert à rien et fait encourir à nos agents des risques énormes” – Amnesty International Sénégal.” Accueil, www.amnesty.sn/spip.php?article2340.

 

Tourists sexually assaulted in Senegal’s Casamance region

On January 26th, 2018; three out of the four tourists who were traveling through the Casamance region in Senegal were stopped, robbed and sexually assaulted. According to most news sources and officials, sexual assaults have not been a common occurrence in Senegal since 2014 when a truce was passed between the Senegalese government and Senegalese separatist group. However, this recent assault is much more than a random act of violence; many people are saying that this could be a sign that the Senegalese army is attempting to relaunch military operations in the Casamance region. The Movement of Democratic Forces for Casamance (MFDC), a separatist group in Senegal, has been fighting for independence since 1982 but most recently the fighting has died down to a cease-fire. Nevertheless, earlier in the month of January, 14 people were murdered in the town of Borofaye, Casamance and it was just the day before these sexual assaults, that 24 people had been charged with the murder of those 14 people. According to a leader of the MFDC, these acts of violence could put the 3-year truce they established with the Senegalese government in jeopardy. Throughout this investigation, however, the MFDC denies any involvement with these attacks and simply blames it on corrupt loggers who have been fighting over prized rosewood and teakwood in the region. This is a complicated situation, in which there have been multiple accusations and perspectives. One thing is for certain, the Casamance region near The Gambia is no longer a prized, safe location for tourism where a 35-year separatist movement has been ongoing. Moreover, these acts of violence are not randomly staged and may result in a relaunch of fighting between this long-standing rivalry of the Senegalese government and Senegalese Separatist movement (MFDC).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citation:

“Tourists sexually assaulted in Senegal’s Casamance region.” BBC News, BBC, 26 Jan. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42833218.

Santé sexuelle et reproductive en Afrique : Les jeunes filles plus touchées par la mortalité maternelle

Sexual health and education have been a prevalent and serious issue throughout Africa for several decades. The article published on LeSoleil, a popular newspaper in Dakar states that Senegal is making an effort to fight against maternal death. Maternal death affects all ages but has been most common with young girls who face early pregnancy. Mabingué Ngom, the Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund (Unfpa) has helped create a free platform called Gindima which is essentially a hotline for sexual and reproductive health concerns and questions. Ngom stated in his speech that the reason these deaths are occurring is due to the lack of information surrounding sexual education and awareness of maternal death.

According to Ngom, Western Africa has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. “It is twice the world average with more than one in ten girls aged 15 to 19 giving birth”, he states. The average amount of child brides has increased due to this phenomenon and the consequences are immense.

Ngom believes that if more people had access to a free sexual health platform such as this one, they could reduce their risk of maternal death and complications. If these young girls are provided information that is essential to their health, there may not be as many teen pregnancies and early marriages.

Ngom’s platform has a potential to change the general outlook and experience with teen pregnancy and death. Through education, these young girls can make smarter choices. 

Citations:

Medecinsdumonde. “Guide Santé sexuelle et reproductive Médecins du Monde.” Issuu, issuu.com/medecinsdumonde/docs/guide_sant___sexuelle_et_reproducti.

http://www.lesoleil.sn/actualites/item/75202-sante-sexuelle-et-reproductive-en-afrique-les-jeunes-filles-plus-touchees-par-la-mortalite-maternelle.html

Senegal: Information Network Draft Version One

Senegal: Information Network Draft Version One

 

Le Soleil: This is a broadly serving newspaper that focuses on the news, politics, economics, society, regions etc. It serves as a great source for all the happenings in Senegal itself. The website is in French and it appears to act as a form of local news. It updates very frequently and it has three other main sections such as le Soleil business, le Soleil grand air, and le Soleil diaspora. It’s also interesting how it breaks up each individual section into smaller subsections such as small opinion pieces.

It can be accessed at http://www.lesoleil.sn

I chose this news source because it was the most relevant and diverse in comparison to others I came across. While domestically focused, this newspaper does a great job of reporting on many different events. I really liked how they added in opinion pieces, it helped portray the culture there. As for keeping up to date with this source, I bookmarked the page and I have put it in my reminders to check it.

 

BBC news: This traditional news source acts as a newspaper, radio station and T.V. station. Based in Britain, it also has worldwide respect and prestige as a broadcasting company. It is an excellent and trustworthy source of domestic and international news. It is divided into operational divisions and commercial divisions. The commercials divisions consist of BBC Worldwide, BBC World News, BBC Studios and BBC Studioworks.  Moreover, it has individual country profiles detailing their politics, media, population size etc.

It can be accessed at http://www.bbc.com/news

I chose this source because of its accuracy, reliability, and familiarity. It not only shares domestic and international news but it does an excellent job of staying impartial. In order to keep up to date with this news source, I will bookmark the tab so I can go back and add it to my calendar reminders to read. Moreover, I will add it to my global news on my phone. I will check it daily.

 

Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS): This audio-based source is a state-run form of television and radio broadcasting in Senegal. Most audio sources in Senegal are private, as such RTS is one of the more relevant and accurate forms of broadcasting.  It operates Chaine Nationale and Senegal Internationale, Dakar FM and regional services. It is also broken up into actualités (news), emissions (channels) and many others. RTS is broadcasted in French and the website appears to have a diverse amount of news portrayed.

It can be accessed at http://www.rts.sn and on most social media sites such as Facebook, google plus, Instagram, and Twitter.

I chose this audio source because I thought it encompassed well the radio coverage of Southern Africa, specifically Senegal. It was also in French, their native language which helps diversify the source. As RTS is on most social media platforms, I have followed them on facebook and twitter. I have also added them to my favorites. It also appears that they update very frequently; daily it appears.

 

CIA World Factbook: This source works as a data source for Senegal. The CIA World Factbook is an excellent reference for an overview of a specific country. In this case, the fact book outlines Senegal through its geography, society, government, economy, energy, military etc. For each section, it provides a detailed outline of the country’s profile in general. It also gives several relevant statistics surrounding the country’s infrastructure and economic development.

This source can be accessed at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sg.html

I chose this data source because of the relevance of the CIA. The CIA is a world-renowned organization that has an extremely prestigious role. In this way, the information portrayed on the website is very accurate and reliable. I already use the CIA World Factbook for several projects I work on, so keeping up to date should not be an issue. Nevertheless, I will also bookmark the page. This source will not likely be updated for at least a year, however.

 

Amnesty Sénégal: I chose this source for the social media component of my country. Amnesty International is an organization that is well known around the world. Thus, Amnesty Sénégal is a domestic form of the organization focused on the events and happenings in Senegal. Amnesty Sénégal is focused on the promotion and the protection of human rights in Senegal and in the World. I found their main social media site on twitter, but they are also in a sub-index on Amnesty International. Both of these sites are in French and contain relevant events pertaining to human rights violations and efforts.

They can be accessed at https://twitter.com/AmnestySenegal or @AmnestySenegal and http://www.amnesty.sn

I chose this source because of how closely I align with their mission. Moreover, this source provides a great reference to the efforts of Senegal in fighting human rights violations. As I am in a Human Rights Class at this moment, I will be regularly checking sites such as this one. I will also follow them on Twitter and bookmark Amnesty International.

 

Senego: I chose Senego as my new media source. Senego is a mix between a news source and a BuzzFeed article. While not literally credible, Senego gives us a good grasp into the culture and societal expectations surrounding Senegal. It is divided into Politique, People, Sport, TV, and Rubriques which divides it further into smaller indexes. The whole website is in French and appears to be a frequent source for young adolescents in Senegal.

It can be accessed here: https://senego.com

I chose this source because I can see how it is part of popular culture. It is interesting how the website is divided into small subsections such as humor, TV, and health. I think it’s a very new approach to new media. Thus, in order to monitor it, I will attach a bookmark to the page and make sure that I add it to my calendar on reminders.

I began my search with the OSU libraries website. I clicked on the research databases list and from there I found a list of sources pertaining to Senegal. Most of these sources were very confusing to decipher where their source was truly from. Some sources were from main sources such as the New York Times and Washington Post, but in general, it was very difficult to find an accurate source. On BBC’s website, it said that Senegal was very well versed in reporting and media usage. Nevertheless, through my search it proved much more difficult then I had imagined. Most sites appeared as spam like they couldn’t be loaded. When I found websites they were always in French. Luckily I am a French major so this part did not phase me. But in terms of covering a global perspective, I did not find that. I found that domestically Senegal did a great job with reporting but globally Senegal is not portrayed very frequently.  What was most beneficial in regards to my search was using BBC’s Senegal Profile. In this profile, it outlined the media and newspaper usage. For the future, I think I will start my research earlier and make sure to use keywords which will make the information appear more quickly.

Senegal: ‘Completely White’ Whitening Cream Stirs Outrage

There is increasing outrage surrounding a new skin lightening product called Khess Petch in Senegal. While skin lightening products have been banned in most countries, skin lightening has become a common practice in African countries. Carole Ouédraogo states that 25% of women in Bamako and Mali use skin lightening products along with 35% in South Africa and 52% in Senegal.

The widespread use of skin lightening products in Africa has become a common practice based on the aftermath of colonization, slavery but also because of ingrained eurocentric stigmas surrounding beauty.

Khess Petch is causing a huge controversy on the internet. The increasing significance of colorism is a huge issue but the effects and consequences of Khess Petch are colossal. As Khess Petch contains products such as bleach, it can cause stretch marks, acne, and hypertension. This product is not safe at all to use and people all over the world are trying to put a stop to it. That being said there is an ongoing campaign against Khess Petch and over 1000 signatures were gained in just 4 days.

This is a very relevant and difficult problem to deal with, but people have been coming together and creating awareness projects surrounding it, getting celebrities like top model Ajuma Nasenyana to fight against its advertisement and teaching in schools about this ongoing problem.

 

Thierno. “Les dangers de la dépigmentation.” Guineelibre, guineelibre.over-blog.com/article-les-dangers-de-la-depigmentation-115402080.html.

“Senegal: ‘Completely White’ Whitening Cream Stirs Outrage · Global Voices.” Global Voices, 21 Sept. 2012, globalvoices.org/2012/09/21/senegal-completely-white-whitening-cream-stirs-outrage/.