In Dakar fishing village, surfing entices girls back to school

Becca MILFELD Fri, 6 February 2026 at 6:39 am UTC·4 min read For generations, Seynabou Tall's ancestors have fished, dived and rowed off the coast of Dakar, where the 14-year-old, who quit school nearly four years ago, is now learning to surf. She and some 20 other girls are participating in an inaugural Surf Academy which requires they enrol in school, incentivised by the chance to shred waves.Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly all come from the little community of Xataxely, a fishing village of narrow walkways that is part of the capital's larger Ngor neighbourhood. The area is a stronghold of Senegal's Lebou ethnic group, a fishing people closely tied to the...