Pikine

Last updated
Pikine
City
Pikine.gif
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Pikine
Coordinates: 14°45′0″N17°24′0″W / 14.75000°N 17.40000°W / 14.75000; -17.40000
CountryFlag of Senegal.svg  Senegal
Region Dakar Region
Department Pikine
Area
 • Total
87 km2 (34 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)
 • Total
1,170,791
 • Density13,000/km2 (35,000/sq mi)
Demonym Pikinois
Time zone UTC+0 (GMT)

Pikine is a city and the capital of the Pikine department, in the Dakar region in Senegal. The largest suburb of Senegalese capital Dakar, at the 2013 Census, it had a population of 1,170,791. It is the second-largest city in Senegal. [1]

Contents

History

Situated on a former French military base, illegal immigrants were sent to the site of Pikine in the early 1950s to ease a growing housing crisis in the Cap-Vert. Incorporated by colonial officials in 1952, the community's fast growth caused it to surpass its legal boundaries and urbanize, [2] and had a population on 50,000 by the end of the 1950s. [3]

More people moved to the city from eastern rural towns during the 1970s for job opportunities, [4] growing from 30,000 people in 1960, to 650,000 by 1988. [5]

Since the 1980s, the city has been unzoned. [6] In 1998, Pikine was described by essayist Gérard Salem  [ fr ] as a city "without a real history". [2]

Pikine is separated into two: 'regular' Pikine, and 'irregular' Pikine. 'Regular' Pikine encompasses development before the 1970s, while 'irregular' Pikine are the post-1970s shanty town. [7]

The Mbeubeusse Landfill, the Dakar region's sole waste facility, is situated in Pikine. [8]

Healthcare

Healthcare in Pikine is lackluster [9] and has three hospitals to serve its population. [4] The local dog population—mainly strays belonging to children—is infected with rabies, and in 1987, 500 dogs were vaccinated for the virus. [10]

Transportation

Pikine has three roads, which often get congested. Its primary forms of transportation are buses and car rapides. [4]

Culture

The people of Pikine are known by the demonym 'Pikinois'. [4]

Pikine is home to football club AS Pikine, who play at Stade Al Djigo in Pikine. [11]

The national stadium for Senegalese wrestling is located in Pikine, and seats 20,000. [12]

Africulturban, a cultural center, is located in Pikine. It was founded by rapper Matador. [13]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ Demissie, Fassil (2013-09-13). Postcolonial African Cities: Imperial Legacies and Postcolonial Predicament. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-99138-0.
  2. 1 2 Prothmann, Sebastian (2018-10-01). "Urban Identities and Belonging: Young Men's Discourses about Pikine (Senegal)". International Development Policy | Revue internationale de politique de développement (10): 254–274. doi:10.4000/poldev.2749. ISSN   1663-9375.
  3. ↑ "Pikine (Dakar - Senegal) | RUAF - Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security". www.ruaf.org. Archived from the original on 2006-08-16. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Etoka, Salima. "A City in the Making: An Analysis of the Built Environment, Lived Experiences and Perceptions of Pikine, Senegal". Trinity Student Scholarship. Trinity College Digital Repository: 15.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ↑ Clark, Msia Kibona; Koster, Mickie Mwanzia (2014-10-30). Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-7391-9330-3.
  6. ↑ Foley, Ellen E. (2010). Your Pocket Is What Cures You: The Politics of Health in Senegal. Rutgers University Press. pp. 37–57, 84–95. ISBN   978-0-8135-4667-4. JSTOR   j.ctt5hj46n.
  7. ↑ "QUARTIERS DU MONDE > PROJET QUARTIERS DU MONDE: HISTOIRES URBAINES > EQUIPES: PIKINE > PRÉSENTATION". www.quartiersdumonde.org. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  8. ↑ Myers, Garth (2016-02-24). Urban Environments in Africa: A Critical Analysis of Environmental Politics. Policy Press. p. 141. ISBN   978-1-4473-2295-5.
  9. ↑ Foley, Ellen E. (2009-12-03). Your Pocket Is What Cures You: The Politics of Health in Senegal. Rutgers University Press. ISBN   978-0-8135-4907-1.
  10. ↑ Akakpo, A. J.; Bornarel, P.; Sarradin, P.; Leye, S. M.; Alambedji, R. (1990). "[Socio-ethnology and role of the dog in the Pikine district (suburban zone of Dakar - Senegal)]". Dakar Medical. 35 (1): 99–105. ISSN   0049-1101. PMID   2131203.
  11. ↑ "Summary - Pikine - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  12. ↑ AfricaNews (2018-07-23). "National wrestling arena opens in Dakar". Africanews. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  13. ↑ Bior, Ayen (2023-02-28). "Senegal's artists are fighting the system with a mic and spray paint". NPR. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
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