Change has come to Senegal much ahead of what the rest of the world might see in the future.
The 'Venice of Africa' is drowning.
Along the coast, entire villages of fishermen, which lay along the beautiful beaches, are being swept away at a very fast rate.
Fisherman Ameth Diagne thought he would have time to raise his children and make a living off the sea before the sea ran him out. But the sea won.
The Atlantic Ocean is devouring the coatline bit by bit, at a relentless but quickening pace.
Diagne's house used to be 2 miles from the sea! 2 kilometers, only a handful of years ago. Now his living room is part of the wet sand, and some is part of the ocean.
The small fishing village called Doun Babe Dieye was settled in 1364 by Norman explorers. But the storied settlement is disappearing underwater.
The waters off the coast of the small town are rich with a bounty of precious fish. Mullet, sardines, tilapia and bonga. They used to swim amongst the mangrove's intricate lace, but the Atlantic waters have now overrun the basin where the river met the sea.
The area where Diagne lives is an archipelago that sits in the banks of the Senegal river. It lies four hours by car from Dakar, and is one of Unesco's world heritage sites.
Now the town is under threat from dual disasters : the river overflows when it rains, and the sea water rises relentlessly.
In fact all of the villages that are in front of the channel have already suffered intense erosion and loss of land.
The larger city of St. Louis, another historical site, is also under threat. Efforts are under way to impliment a plan to save the city, much in the same way that Venice was saved by engineers.
But it won't be so easy. In the meantime, the Atlantic stretches further inland with each wave.
Source : France 24/ 5.26.13
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