Dakar: teaching children about ocean life through the magic of whale songs

In Senegal, an innovative initiative is captivating young minds, using recordings of whale songs to educate children on vital environmental protection. This inspiring project is spearheaded by the association Germes d’Écocitoyens à travers les sciences et les traditions dans les univers d’apprentissage (Gestu).

Just weeks ago, Gestu organized three engaging sessions in primary schools across Dakar, featuring Professor Olivier Adam, a renowned specialist in cetaceans. Our visit took us to the Alieu Samb primary school in the Ngor district of Dakar, where one of these fascinating introductions to the world of whale communication unfolded.

Seated intently at their desks, the approximately thirty CM2 students listened in awe to the recorded sounds of a humpback whale. These unique recordings were captured off the coast of Ouakam in Dakar during research expeditions in 2018 and 2022.

“These songs, these sounds you’ve just heard, are from humpback whales,” explained Olivier Adam, a distinguished professor from the Sorbonne. “And humpback whales journey to Dakar, giving birth right here. Their calves are essentially Dakarois!”

For Professor Adam, an expert in cetacean vocalizations, it is profoundly important to share the understanding that whales possess a complex language. “I was initially astonished when I first recorded whales, to discover they emitted sounds that were intentional and structured like a language,” he shared, having traveled from Paris specifically to engage with these children. “Every time I meet students, young people, I feel it’s absolutely essential they know this. We need to comprehend our oceans today, and we can only truly understand the ocean by knowing the living species within it.”

The curious youngsters were eager to engage, peppering the professor with questions: “How many stomachs does a whale have? How many types of whales are there? How does a whale give birth? What do they eat?” Twelve-year-old Fanta was particularly struck by “their song and their way of communicating.”

Thierry, the CM2 teacher at Alieu Samb school in Ngor, Dakar, emphasized the critical nature of this education about the living world. He recounted his own revelation: “Without this knowledge, you wouldn’t know, for instance, what I’ve just learned – that a whale can only have one calf per birth. This means it’s a species that, if not protected, could vanish.”

Babacar Sy, a seasoned underwater hunter with over 30 years of experience who captured the whale recordings in Dakar and co-led the workshop, underscored the urgency of combating environmental ignorance. He laments catching fewer fish each day. “I was fortunate enough to experience nature as it was, and to witness its radical transformation. Last year, I caught only five thiof fish all year. If we continue on this path, one day we’ll speak of thiof to our children, and they’ll ask what it is, that it no longer exists,” the fisherman worried. “We are heading into a deep hole. For me, it’s time for people to wake up!”

Beyond these captivating whale sound sessions, Gestu also conducted awareness days focused on waste collection in two other Dakar schools, striving to foster a shift in environmental attitudes across the city.