Village Artisanal de Soumbédioune, Artisan marketplace in Médina, Senegal.
This artisan marketplace in Médina contains around 349 workshops arranged across different sections displaying leather goods, jewelry, sculptures, and traditional crafts. It sits along Corniche West in Dakar and lets visitors watch craftspeople at work in their shops.
This village was established in the 1960s to support and promote Senegalese craftsmanship and cultural expression. The creation was part of a broader effort to help local artisans thrive and share their work.
Artisans here craft their goods using techniques passed down through generations, working with leather from various animals and carving wooden figures by hand. These traditional skills shape the daily rhythm of the village and reflect how craftspeople maintain their heritage through their work.
You can explore the workshops during daytime hours and talk directly with artisans to learn about their craft and purchase items. It helps to spend time wandering slowly through the different areas to get a full sense of what is available.
All craftspeople here work without modern machinery and complete every piece entirely by hand using methods that have been practiced for countless generations. This approach means each item is truly one of a kind and takes considerable time to finish.
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