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Had everything gone to plan, the singer-songwriter Baaba Maal\u2019s move to Senegal\u2019s capital from the northern hinterlands would have ended up differently \u2014 specifically, with a law degree. \u201cWhen I first came to Dakar, I was supposed to study at the university because that was the wish of my parents,\u201d he said, while a pair of sculptures, as if on cue, eyed him sternly.<\/p>\n
I met Mr. Maal \u2014 the \u201cvoice of Wakanda\u201d to fans who know him from the soundtracks of \u201cBlack Panther\u201d and \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever\u201d \u2014 at Dakar\u2019s Museum of Black Civilizations<\/a>. As we roamed the galleries, he explained that he loved this place for its efforts to repatriate plundered African treasures and its power \u201cto make the young ones interested in arts.\u201d Now 70, he recalled being an artsy young one himself. \u201cWhat was really, deeply strong inside me \u2014 which is to be a singer, to be a performer \u2014 came out when I got to Dakar,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I wanted to be an artist, I said, \u2018This is where I\u2019m going to start a career.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n So there went his parents\u2019 plan, but his own has worked out nicely. This year alone, he released his 14th studio album, \u201cBeing<\/a>,\u201d to critical acclaim, became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification \u2014 a continuation of the work of his nonprofit Nann-K<\/a> \u2014 and began preparations for his arts and culture Blues du Fleuve<\/a> festival in early December. While he still travels often, he said, \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted Dakar to be where I start my work, get ready for my tours \u2014 and come back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The appeal was clear. Since he\u2019d moved to Dakar, the city had instituted renowned biennales<\/a> and fashion weeks<\/a>. And just the small stretch of the thoroughfare where we stood featured not only the museum, but also the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National and the restored Art Nouveau commuter rail station. \u201cThis is a new dynamic,\u201d he said, pointing out a spot where hip-hop artists now draw thousands of young people to open-air performances. Reveling in the energy, he added, \u201cI often pass by here, open the car window, look at the people coming out of the train and say to myself, \u2018Yes, this is the kind of Senegal I want to see.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Here are five of his favorite places in and around Dakar.<\/p>\n \u201cI love to see tradition alive,\u201d said Mr. Maal of the theater<\/a>, inaugurated in 1965 by Senegal\u2019s first president, the poet-philosopher<\/a> L\u00e9opold S\u00e9dar Senghor. \u201cAnd the tradition is still there \u2014 the national ballet, the lyrical ensemble, a lot of traditional African music.\u201d He also loves the theater\u2019s soul: \u201cYou can see the portraits of all the artists who passed away a long time ago, and who represent a lot to Senegalese people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sports fan or not, any music lover will enjoy a match at this soccer and wrestling stadium, where singing and drumming accompany the action. Mr. Maal has a particular fondness for wrestling, the national sport. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the sport itself; it\u2019s the dramas, the singers, the costumes \u2014 all the culture around the wrestling,\u201d he said. Amadou Barry is also a music venue, where Mr. Maal is a beloved veteran performer. To visit this suburban stadium, you may want a guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen friends come, it\u2019s their favorite place to stay,\u201d said Mr. Maal of this dreamy hotel<\/a> \u2014 all thatched domes, mosaic archways and bougainvillea blossoms \u2014 in the suburb of Toubab Dialaw, about an hour outside Dakar, where the tranquillity-inducing views of the ocean and city lights inspired his iconic song \u201cDakar Moon<\/a>.\u201d He also recommends the nearby African dance institute \u00c9cole des Sables<\/a>, where anyone can attend the performances at the end of each multiweek session.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As much as Mr. Maal is an artist, by birthright, he said, \u201cI\u2019m a fisherman.\u201d And his favorite local connection to those roots is Soumbedioune, where the beach and market are \u201cfull of life, noise and energy \u2014 with all the boats going out early in the morning, the young people pulling them from the ocean and the women waiting to sell the fish in the markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, and owned by a friend who loves to feed people,\u201d said Mr. Maal of this restaurant that\u2019s part of a colonial estate turned hotel on Gor\u00e9e Island, 25 minutes off the coast. His song \u201cFatmata\u201d<\/a> is dedicated to the proprietor, whose kitchen\u2019s thieboudienne (fish, herby tomato sauce and rice), kaldou (garlicky fish and rice) and c\u2019est bon (grilled fish and seafood with an oniony sauce) are favorites of his. And UNESCO-listed<\/a> Gor\u00e9e Island, ringed in aquamarine waters, is considered a must for any visitor, as is its Maison des Esclaves, a testament to the horrors of slavery. While the island\u2019s beauty and brutality feel decidedly at odds, you can, in Mr. Maal\u2019s view, \u201cgo from very hard, very sad experiences to see that after all, there is hope, there is light, and we can build something from that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1. Daniel Sorano National Theater<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
4. Soumbedioune Fishing Beach and Market<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n