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Community Corner

Profile: Senegalese in Bed-Stuy

The first in a three-part series: A look at the commerce and industry of the Senegalese community; a view of the businesses and shops along Fulton street

The Senegalese community in Brooklyn is one of the newest immigrant populations to the borough, with a fast-growing segment taking root in Bed-Stuy. The first groups of Senegalese arrived to the neighborhood about 30 years ago, and since then, thousands more have made the area home.

Senegal is a country in West Africa. Ninety-five percent of Senegalese are Muslim, hailing from various ethnic groups and speaking a variety of languages, with their dominant language being French. The Senegalese have a rich and celebrated tradition of dance, music and art. The majority of those from the diaspora have settled in Harlem, but there is a strong and growing presence in Bed-Stuy as well.

Many of the businesses along Fulton Street, between Classon and Marcy are owned by Senegalese merchants who offer goods from their homeland, restaurants serving traditional (halal) Senegalese food, and tailor services, a skill they are known throughout Africa to have perfected.

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 restaurant offers a buffet of African food, including Senegalese specialties such as thiebu dienne (rice and fish with vegetables in sauce) and soupakanja (okra stew), as well as Guinean specialties. The atmosphere is warm and relaxing, and most people seem to know each other, exchanging the typical Senegalese greeting, Nanga def, as they walk in.

West of Franklin Avenue, there are a few businesses on Fulton that support the Senegalese Fulani population. The Fulani are an ethnic group that speaks the Pulaar language. They are located primarily in the northern region of Senegal called Fouta. The stores of the Fulani carry products such as shea butter from Ghana, gold-painted jewelry from Senegal, films on DVD, handmade drums, jewelry, and West African clothing such as boubous, traditional tunics made from brightly-colored fabric.

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The Senegalese are also known for their hair-braiding skills. Fulton Street and the area below it on Nostrand Avenue is home to a cluster of hair salons where African women braid hair in the various styles of their home countries. Sogho Express Professional African Hair Braiding Shop on Fulton Street is one such location.  

Additionally, the national headquarters of the Pulaar-Speaking Association is located on Fulton Avenue. The center was founded in 1990 by emigrants from various West African nations. It provides the Fulani community with a space to hold gatherings, connect with people from their home region in Senegal or elsewhere in Africa and pray five times a day.

The businesses serving the Senegalese community here are at once places of transaction and places of gathering for friends and family members who share language, religion and custom.



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