Said to date back 200 years, traditional Senegalese pirogue racing is an extremely popular sport. Crowds descend to the banks of the Senegal River in Saint-Louis to cheer on teams from along the Senegal coast. Starting in the early hours of the morning, supporters gather to watch the unveiling of each pirogue, which is freshly painted and blessed by each team’s religious leader, their marabout. The boats are then pushed into the river with cheers from the crowds.
JOHN WESSELS (Johannesburg, 1987), 2016 started freelancing for AFP Southern Africa. From 2017 to 2019 he was based in Kinshasa, DRC, freelancing for AFP and others, NGO’s and UN. He is currently working out of Dakar, Senegal as chief photographer in West Africa for AFP. Awards and exhibitions include 2nd and 3rd in World Press Photo 2019, 2nd wire photographer of the year in the Guardian, 2nd photographer of the year POYI, solo exhibition at Visa pour l’image and others.