– E-mail received today from my Master’s Program assistant

So with that “no more class this year” email, it is indeed really starting to look a lot like Christmas in Megan’s mind. And not a moment too soon, because I am clearly behind the power curve if I want to compete with Dakar’s Christmas spirit. That’s right- I said Dakar and Christmas spirit in the same breath. This might be a city where 95% of the people are practicing Muslims, but I’m here to tell you that they know how to do up the plastic fantastic commercialization of this fête in a way that almost makes you feel like you are back in the States.

Nevermind that most of the population in this country can’t afford to buy a television, the  scattering of billboards currently reflect the holy commercial- I mean Christian- season.

Last week as I was breaking myself out of a taxi cab (more often than not I must use the outside door handle in order to secure my egress), one of the many vendors came up to me hoping to make a sale. The street vendors in Dakar (just about the only kind in this country) have excellent toubab radars, and this guy was no different. 

What was he selling? Well I wish I had my camera on me- but alas, I didn’t. He had a full-size fake Christmas tree in one arm, and an armload of those round metallic ornaments on the other. Let me just restate that for you: there are dudes walking the streets of Plateau (downtown) with massive Christmas trees that they squish against car windows for the motorists to peruse.  (I can hear the internal monologue now: “I was just going to make my commute home, but I think I’ll also pick up this here Christmas tree blocking the intersection…)

Drive-thru restaurants, package stores and wedding chapels: eat your heart out.

So around town we have definite traces of Christmas, but the best embodiment of secular Christmas has been at the toubab mecca known as the Casino supermarket.  

O Come All ye Faithful parents with children who will demand that you buy all of the expensive crap that we imported for Christmas

Check out their advertising. Mama Christmas and her shopping cart sleigh towed by four tiny mouton. It’s totally Christmas in Dakar. Except for that snow in the photo.

You don’t have to wander the streets looking for the roaming Christmas tree man- they are right here next to the meat and booze section of the supermarket.

I complain a lot, but I will say that I appreciate Senegal being a former French colony. You know why? Nope, it’s not the culture of needless and excessive flowery verbiage that they have adopted in their language…..

It’s the food (c’mon, you knew this).

Behold the oodles of varieties of Bûche de Noël

In downtown Dakar at the Place de l’Indépendance they have put up a giant electric tree. It’s a big square, so the thing actually looks nice and Christmassy by night. However, I do take some issue with the subtlety of said tree’s sponsor, Orange (that’s the country’s major telecom company): 

The view when you stand inside the conical structure. All of these lights still evoke sentiments of holiday cheer, but the grinch in me wonders how many Senegalese are literally in the dark tonight while the power grid is reconfigured to support this thing.

This is no joke, I took this photo two days ago at the bakery down the street from my house. Not exactly Christmas decorations, but I guess they got the Christianity aspect nailed down. Close enough, Dakar, close enough…

Oh wait, this isn’t Dakar. It’s my backyard- and I can’t wait to get home and see it in person. To me, this is real Christmas. Alhamdoulilah….

Oh and by the way, this isn’t the first bizarre holiday mash up that we have seen. Must I remind you of this?

You know I love unconventional Christmas tunes, and this one is tops. The best part is the fantastic dialogue that sets the mood and enhances the incongruity between these two musical genres. It’s perfect.