Recent events have placed Dakar on the map for both fashion and surf tourism. Thanks to an adventurous creative idea behind a recent fashion festival, both activities now feature the ocean economy. A photographer’s lens has managed to capture fashion and surfing in the same frame.
By Blue Africa News
The Atlantic Coast of Dakar, Senegal is proving a perfect blend for surf, culture and fashion enthusiasts with a new series exploring identity, movement and style through Senegal’s coastline.
Conceptualized and captured by South African-based photographer and visual artist Fede Kortez, the series showcases surf culture meeting African hair artistry in the Senegalese capital, in a bold visual dialogue, according to videos and pictures shared on various social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Stirring are female models Sokhna Fané, Djamil Lurr and Kya Racky, alongside surfers Pape Ndiaye, Usman, Babacar, Seck Madicke and Mouhamed Seck, Senegal’s Afro babies’ hairstylists and Anne-Marie who is in charge of makeup.
In one of the videos, models donning various Senegalese hair styles – ranging from mermaid waves (ocean inspired), surfer hairstyle, wave rider and beach fashion are seen standing between surfers with their beautiful surfboard as waves rise and fall in the coast of Dakar, in a symbolic intermarriage of beauty and marine life.
In yet another video, one of the models is tucked between her colleagues – one standing and another seated with their surfboards, a rare expression of fashion, culture and surfing meeting on the shores of Dakar.
As one of the most stable democracies in Africa, Senegal attracts visitors from all over the world, which augurs well with the nation’s surfing communities. The country offers consistent, year-round surfing, with the most diverse surfing spots located around the Almadies Peninsula near Dakar. Other Key spots include Yoff beach, Ngor, and the Ouakam reef.
According to nomadsurfers.com, the West African country’s surf community became famous when featured in one of the most famed surf movies of all times: Endless Summer.
In the 1966 movie, Robert August and Mike Hynson surf the world class wave of Ngor, and instantly start a surf revolution in Senegal.
“Since then, surfing started to become popular in the country and nowadays brings many surfers looking for perfect waves and small crowds. One of the best things about surfing in Senegal is that there is none of the localism that plagues other countries. The locals are warm and all surf spots are happily shared by refugees, tourists and locals,” the publication notes.
Surf culture meets African hair artistry in Dakar, Senegal. Photo courtesy: NWE
For years, surfing in Senegal has been predominantly male. But now, bit by bit, coupled by various mechanisms, girls and women are embracing the culture.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, American surfer Rhonda Harper, founder of the Black Girls Surf (BGS) started the Black Girls Surf School in Senegal, giving girls in the country a rare opportunity to nurture their surfing skills.
“We wanted to make sure that the girls were in a stable environment where they could grow and build on their surfing skills. And now my girls are on their way to the Junior Olympics in 2026,” said Rhonda, as quoted by glorioussport.com.
Remarkably, Dakar, Senegal will host the Junior Olympics, otherwise known as Youth Olympic Games from 31 October – 14 November, 2026.
Observers say the BGS Surf School has within a few years of its existence, helped put Ngor, on the surfing map, with the town’s former mayor gifting Rhonda’s group a plot of beach-front land.
And during the 23rd edition of the Dakar Fashion Week in December 2025, fashion and culture were on show, this time round not on land, but on the sea.
Founded in 2002 by Senegalese designer Adama Amanda Ndiaye, the fashion event was established to give African designers the visibility they “were long denied on international stages.”
Unlike previous years when the event started on land, this time round it unfolded on water, with designers, fishermen, surfers and fashionistas showcasing their skills on the ocean as guests followed the displays from nearby boats, resulting in a powerful blend of fashion and culture that reflected Dakar’s deep connection to the sea.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News