Speaking for the Beach
Everyone knows Babacar Thiaw. If you surf in Dakar or just enjoy the beach at le Virage, you know him. Some know him as an activist fighting for beach access while others know him as Babs who teaches surfing and runs the Copacabana. Either way, we know him as an integral part of the Dakar surf family. Here’s his story and a bit about the fight for le Virage:
Hey Babacar, I’ve heard you and le Virage have quite the history. When did you start coming here?
I started coming here when I was 6. My dad had some land and was working the beach. He put four sticks in the ground with a roof and built a space for people to rest under. He also sold drinks out of a cart he pushed around.
And when did you start surfing?
So as a kid, while my dad worked, I used to play in the sand and watch people surf. I wanted to do it so bad. But it took a while, I got my first board when I was 14 after bartering with a Spanish tourist. He was running out of money and needed souvenirs, so I gave him some money and some artwork to bring back with him. I would surf all day, but when I wasn’t riding, I rented the board out and eventually bought another, then another. So growing up I didn’t party, I saved up, and ran a business renting surfboards so I could keep surfing.
Where did that take you after a while? I know your work extends wider than renting out boards!
Yeah so I eventually I got pretty decent at bodyboarding and won the national title of Senegalese Champion in 2007 and 2009. I learned much about the waves and riding them. I started to teach surfing to pay for business school after my bachelor’s. Business school was more to learn about Senegalese commerce and the laws surrounding it so I could understand what I could do to protect le Virage.
Tell us about that; who was trying to do what that put the beach at risk?
So back under the old president’s reign, he handed his son four ministries to control. Along with the Conference of Islamic Organizations, they tried to privatize all public spaces on the north shore along the beach. Yoff and Virage are the only public beaches because everything else was bought and developed in a matter of a couple years.
We don’t need to name him, but a corrupt Lebanese man bought land right next to the beach at le Virage and pressured surrounding landowners to sell their land to him for his hotel. With financial backing, he was able to bribe
the police and they arrested my dad when he refused to sell his plot. While he sat in jail for 2 weeks, I called journalists and with help from my friends in Yoff, we blocked the road and burned tires to attract attention to what’s happening. Eventually the “gendarmerie” came and tear gassed us, but we never cried. I was lucky to evade arrest several times. Haha, I took my flip and my flop and ran! But once they left, we’d come back and block the roads again.
What moved you to make these decisions?
It made me crazy-- the beach is for everyone! Senegal is a tropical country and people work hard. If the average Dakarois can’t go to the beach after a hard day’s work, then that’s nonsense. That’s nonsense that would really hurt the community. We fought to keep the space public. People need to be able to come and relax in a natural place in their own country. If not, and people are unhappy, you get social problems.
That’s definitely true. So you fought for the beach and now that it’s public, what would you like to see happen to Virage and the people that live nearby?
I want kids to be surfing. It keeps them out of trouble, and gives them chances. Not everybody is good at school, so you can surf- maybe they’ll become a shaper or teach. It can be a very positive influence to kids who aren’t mature enough to know what’s best, yet.
Words of wisdom, Babs; activity over monotony. What do you think is special about the surf scene here?
It’s a small community and we all know each other. We’re all living our dream- sliding across a wave is magic. We’re all sharing the pleasure in taking part; it’s such a great relationship! It brings peace and harmony that we need in our lives.
This discussion took place on Nov 25, 2015 at Plage du Virage. Catch Babs there on most days for stories and local surf wisdom.
Babacar teaching the youth about peace and harmony.