Carabane

Since World War II, the population of the island has gradually declined for a variety of reasons including periods of drought, the Casamance Conflict and, more recently, the sinking of the ferry Joola in 2002.

Although Carabane was once a regional capital, the village has since become so politically isolated from the rest of the country that it no longer fits into any category of the administrative structure decreed by the Senegalese government.

The indigenous population was originally animist, but although the sacred groves and fetishes survive as cultural icons of Casamance, the monotheistic belief systems of Catholicism and Islam have become the most widely held in Carabane.

The testimonies of explorers and colonial administrators demonstrate that Carabane has participated in rice cultivation, fishery, trade, and palm wine production for a long time.

[4] While this adage continues to hold true, it was even more appropriate in the 19th century when, according to one traveller, a 26-hour boat trip from Rufisque (near Dakar) to Carabane was deemed fairly short, and was credited to a favourable wind.

As pointed out by early French observers, soils in the region are generally composed of sand and clay, differing in mixture and layer according to natural and human factors.

[11] In this flat and marshy area, the branches and roots of mangrove trees form dams where deposits of oyster shells naturally accumulate along with mud and plant detritus.

A study in 1998 discovered the following species on the island: African darter (Anhinga rufa), Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis), black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata), Caspian tern (Sterna caspia), blue-spotted wood-dove (Turtur afer), red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata), white-rumped swift (Apus caffer), woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis), grey-backed camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura), red-bellied paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufiventer), pied crow (Corvus albus), black-rumped waxbill (Estrilda troglodytes) and yellow-fronted canary (Serinus mozambicus).

In this way, the nearby Basse Casamance National Park, which has been closed for years, has seen a remarkable return of Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), Senegalese manatees (Trichechus senegalensis), and breeding birds.

The Baudin family used slaves to produce the rice and, despite the declaration of its official abolition in the French colonial empire in 1848, slavery continued on the island until the early 20th century.

[47][48] The colonial administration wanted to expand its influence around the river, particularly because the inhabitants of Gorée were threatened with losing part of their resources with the imminent demise of the slave trade, and also because of their competition with Saint-Louis.

[50] Still, another treaty made Sédhiou the primary trading post of Casamance, and the exploitation of Carabane was left for some time in the hands of the Baudin family, first Pierre then his brother Jean.

Carabane exported rice, but also cotton, considered to be of poor quality,[54] which was ginned in a factory built by Bertrand-Bocandé in 1840, owned first by Maurel & Prom and then by the Casamance Company.

While the Mandinka Muslims continued, illegally, to practice slavery and trade, non-Muslim villages tended to come together, accepting the Resident of Carabane as the arbitrator of their disagreements.

[66] Despite the anti-clerical movement's growth in France at the time, education in Carabane continued to be administered by the Holy Ghost Fathers for the boys and by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny for the girls.

The thirteen churches were located in Dakar, Saint-Louis, Gorée, Rufisque, Thiès, Ngazobil, Joal, Fadiouth, Foundiougne, Kaolack, Ziguinchor, Bignona and Banjul.

[69] In taking leadership of the diocese, Archbishop Le Hunsec noted that the island of Carabane, heavily populated when trading was concentrated there, had lost its influence and now had fewer than 500 inhabitants.

[71] A report submitted in 1938 by an educational advisor to Marcel de Coppet, Governor General of French West Africa, detailed the daily life of the prisoners in the school which housed up to 22 boys, mostly convicted for theft but also occasionally for murder.

[77] The ceasefire of 2004 brought relative peace, but in the meantime, the sinking of the Joola in 2002 claimed the lives of many inhabitants of Carabane and curtailed much of its ability to engage in trade and accept tourists for several years.

[79] Formerly an administrative district in its own right,[note 3] even a regional capital, Carabane is now just one of 23 villages in the rural community of Diembéring, of which Kabrousse, Cap Skirring, and Boucott-Diembéring are the largest centres.

Other specialists, such as Christian Sina Diatta, compare Jola communities to those of mound-building termites, in which each member performs a specific function and where the queen is easily replaceable.

[91] The indigenous population was originally animist, but while the fetishes and sacred groves dedicated to initiation rites such as boukout survive as cultural icons of Casamance,[92] the monotheistic belief systems of Catholicism and Islam have become the most widely held in Carabane.

[100] The island experienced a decline in the 20th century, when Ziguinchor emerged as the regional capital, and more recently because of the negative economic consequences resulting from the Casamance Conflict and the Joola tragedy.

[note 5] Significant modifications to the MV Aline Sitoe Diatta, which replaced the Wilis in March 2008, were considered to allow it to stop safely at the island, and the construction of a berth was announced.

[105] Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye, who later became Prime Minister of Senegal, laid the first stone of the berth in July 2008, and the entire construction project was financed by the Senegalese government at an estimated cost of 12 billion West African CFA francs.

The basic tool used is the kayendo,[note 6] a kind of wooden spade or shovel ranging from 40 to 70 centimetres (16 to 28 in), surrounded by a sharp wrought iron blade and attached to a very long, straight, cylindrical neck.

A study in 2005 revealed the extent to which the shrimp population in the region has been depleted, citing multiple causes, including diminishing rainfall, over-salinization of the estuary, and poorly controlled harvesting.

Along with the mangrove degradation, the civil unrest, and the inadequate fishery regulation, Casamance has had to deal with the closure in 2003 of a major industrial complex in Ziguinchor which treated and exported shrimp and other crustaceans and employed more than 2,000 people.

Already having been described in the 19th century by Captain Brosselard-Faidherbe as a kind of Brazil in Africa,[9] Carabane seemed well-placed to attract visitors in search of exoticism as well as vacationers seeking sandy beaches and kite surfing.

There is also a French cemetery where a Troupes de marine-Captain with the name Aristide Protet was shot with a poisoned arrow and buried standing up in front of the sea, according to his last wishes.

A shoreline showing several coconut trees and a few small houses
Although most of Carabane is covered in mangroves , its coconut trees and sandy beaches attract tourists.
An island with large trees and their reflections in the water below
The shortest route to Carabane from the mainland is a half-hour motorized pirogue trip from Elinkine.
Two streams cutting across the sand with some vegetation on the left
Saltwater streams cut across the shoal .
A house with a straw roof covered in nets and surrounded by trees
Because of their lack of clay, the island's inhabitants build their houses by wrapping straw around wooden frames.
A cluster of mangroves with water on the left and sand on the right
Mangroves are pervasive on the island.
An angled view of a wooden boat lying on the sand with some trees in the background
Because Bombax wood is so easy to work, the trunks of 'kapok' or ' kapokier ' trees are often carved into pirogues .
A bird perched among mangrove branches
A variety of bird species, such as the little bee-eater , may be viewed among the mangroves on the island.
Two dolphins splashing at the surface of some water
Bottlenose dolphins are plentiful in the Casamance River .
Several women pointing at a short statue with large eyes, one woman holding a string tied to the statue's right ankle
Animism in Carabane: inhabitants cursing a fetish because their prayers have failed to make it rain (1893 engraving)
A pier stretching from land out over water
The longest pier on the coast of Africa [ 9 ]
A large building in the background with the silhouettes of two trees in the foreground
The Casamance Company's first factory (1893 engraving)
A large building in the background with the silhouette of a palm tree on the right and two people in the foreground
The Casamance Company's second factory
The sinking of the Joola (pictured) in 2002 claimed the lives of many inhabitants of Carabane and curtailed much of its ability to engage in trade and accept tourists.
A white gate with a sign reading "Republique du Senegal: Prefecture d'Oussouye"
Oussouye Prefecture
The outside of a beige building with children visible inside the open door
The kindergarten was founded in 1988.
A clear plaque on a grey wall stating "École François Mendy" at the top with smaller writing below
The primary school hosts six classes.
A map of The Gambia indicating the locations in the west and center where travellers may cross in order to arrive at Carabane
In order to arrive at Carabane from most locations in Senegal, travellers must cross The Gambia at either Banjul or Farafenni .
A wide paved road running between several houses and trees with a light pole standing up in the middle of the road
Although there are no cars on the island to drive on its wide roads, these roads are illuminated by solar-powered street lights.
A metal blade attached to the base of a wooden rod resting against a tree trunk and various wicker products
The lower part of a kayendo ends in a sharp wrought iron blade.
A pond in the foreground with a steep embankment blocking its spreading to the left and with trees in the background
Levees are used to protect the rice paddy fields from the channels of saltwater which overflow during high tide.
Two fruit clusters next to a black pot all lying on the ground
Oil palm fruit clusters are integral to the local cuisine.
Various equipment hanging from a wall with green rope
Equipment for harvesting palm wine traditionally includes the calabash; however, this natural container has mostly been replaced by synthetic bottles.
The roots of mangrove trees sticking out of the sand with oysters stuck to their sides
Mangrove oysters collect on the roots of mangrove trees.
A green, white, and yellow kite in the blue sky with a beached boat and several trees in the foreground
Kitesurfing is a common tourist activity in Carabane.
A white, two-story building surrounded by trees
The Catholic mission house built in 1880 has since been turned into a hotel.
The altar of a church with a statue on either side, a white cross above, and light shining through the rafters
The interior of the church
A white pyramid surrounded by a metal fence with trees in the background
The grave of Captain Protet who was buried standing up
A grey plaque on a white surface with evidence of chipped paint and general decay
The plaque on Captain Protet's grave (died in 1836)
Worn brick walls and arches with a building visible to the left and vegetation in the foreground
Remnants of the former colonial presence (photo taken in 2008)