Ziguinchor, the nearest large city
South of Abene at about 100 kilometers from our hotel is the city of Ziguinchor. It is the largest city of southern Senegal and has about 100.000 inhabitants. It's on the river Casamance and is surrounded in the south and north by mangrove swamps (Bolongs).
Cheguei e choram
Ziguinchor was founded in 1645 by the Portuguese. The name Ziguinchor stems from the Portuguese "cheguei e choram" which means something like "I arrived and they cried".The explanation of this name is that when the Portuguese explorers and merchants arrived, the local population thought they would be taken as slaves and began to cry.
However the Portuguese had planned to live in peace with the local population. They started a trade mission and befriended the local chief.
Getting there
It takes about two hours by taxi to get to Ziguinchor.You will find some government buildings there that are noteworthy because they are overgrown with a myriad of climber plants. There's a fishers-harbor and several marketplaces including the Diola market. Here all sorts of jewelry and other souvenirs are offered for sale.
Sistercity
The "Marche Saint Maur des Fosses" is the most famous market. It was named after the French city which is connected in friendship to Ziguinchor.Impression
