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Craft and innovation are at the heart of Senegal’s thriving art scene. A new cultural space calls attention to the country’s wealth of talent.

"On the Thread", an exhibition celebrating the diversity of embroidery and weaving, will launch on Jan. 12 in Dakar. It will open at the Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire (IFAN), in the first gallery outside the walls of the 19M, a space dedicated to crafts and fashion launched by Chanel.

In its first pandemic-era edition, the Dakar Biennale, Africa’s biggest art gathering, is uneven, hectic — and full of possibility.

"I have no master," claims storyteller and teacher Massamba Gueye. He is proud to be part of a generation that went to university in Senegal rather than being educated in the West. This is also true for President Macky Sall, whom he advises on issues of culture and heritage. “We must return everything without negotiating,” Gueye insists. He says a Truth Commission is needed between Africa and Europe in order to realize this dream of a continent at peace.

5 things to do in Senegal Today is Independence Day in the west African nation of Senegal. To mark the occasion, here are five reasons to visit once you can 1. See African art The Senegal capital of Dakar (Shutterstock) The capital of Dakar juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, marking the most western point in Africa. Théodore Monod Museum of African Art, in the south of the city, displays 9,000 exhibits across two buildings. The oldest, built in the 1930s, is dedicated to ancient African art, such as masks, traditional dress, drums and agricultural tools. The second hosts contemporary art exhi...