Saint-Louis hosts inaugural Festi-Gaal festival focusing on artisanal pirogue heritage

The first edition of the Festi-Gaal festival took place on 25 July 2026 in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Co‑organised by the Union Nationale des Pêcheurs Artisanaux de Saint‑Louis (UNAPAS) and the civil‑society group CAJUST, the event brought together over a dozen traditional pirogues for races, canoe‑kayak demonstrations and a cultural showcase on the Langue de Barbarie. Participants also enjoyed a cooking contest for the iconic Thiebou Dieune dish.

Festival coordinator Mamadou Sarr used the occasion to present the fishing community’s pressing concerns: the growing breach, loss of protected spawning zones, the imminent gas pipeline project, and the deadly wave of clandestine migration. UNAPAS has previously called for a 24‑nautical‑mile exclusion zone for industrial vessels and an end to bottom‑trawling to protect fish stocks. The gathering was attended by local officials, including the prefect, the mayor, Colonel Alioune Samassa, and representatives of the ANAM and CLPA, highlighting both cultural pride and calls for policy action on climate impacts, resource scarcity and maritime safety.