The last of my Dakar dispatches is yet another track from the Sénégal Flash series, this time off the Ndar edition.

There’s something lovely about the sound of warped tapes. It reminds me of being in taxis, stuck in traffic for hours, sucking up the diesel fumes, captivated by the activities in villages or neighbourhoods outside.

For some of the longer trips we used to buy tapes from guys working the traffic at the rond point near the autoroute. That way we’d get our pick of tunes for the ride, since sometimes listening to Youssou N’Dour Live At Bercy for the 100th time just wasn’t cool. The drivers were usually happy to oblige because they’d get to keep the tape after the trip.

I remember one trip to Saint Louis (which is called Ndar in Wolof) with my first set of roommates when all we could find for the ride was a couple Viviane casettes. Normally I’m not a big fan, but listening to our driver try to sign along, totally out of tune and with a huge stick in his mouth was priceless. I’d never before heard a Senegalese man hit the Viviane high-notes.

It’s been a fun week. Back to Paris now. Cheers and love to all my Dakar people, both old and new.

Ifan Bondi – Xaleli Africa