Non-profit brings Senegalese culture to the Crescent City

Image provided by Les Enfants d’Abord

By Jade Myers

Contributing Writer

On January 13, West Africa’s unique and rich history makes its debut in the Crescent City at the Art Garage on 2231 St. Claude Avenue at 7 p.m.

The festive event known as Fête d’Hiver, organized by New Orleans non-profit Les Enfants d’Abord, will showcase the upbeat Senegalese culture to the people of New Orleans. Senegal is a country located in West Africa, with French cultural ties to the city of New Orleans, with similarities among both cultures in food, music and arts.

Les Enfants d’Abord was established by local resident Jaryd Kase in 2016. The organization, which includes New Orleans natives working in partnership with local residents of Senegalese background, focuses on providing supplemental education and community health programs to underrepresented children and families in Senegal.

Senegal, a vibrant African country known for its’ liveliness and rich musical culture, is said to be one of West Africa’s safest states. However, organizers said this country falls short in education of the nation’s children. Having one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, Kase said that it was some of the challenges and concerns he witnessed from his visits to Senegal that inspired the fundraiser.

“The school systems there are underfunded and overcrowded, our programs work to fill in that gap,” Kase said.

Senegal has a population of roughly 13 million people, with a high percentage of unemployment at nearly 10 percent, according to World Bank data. Most of Senegal’s citizens reside in urban areas. Though the HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate is low in Senegal, poor sanitation, other deadly diseases and poor literacy rates are at a staggering high.

Senegalese children’s lack of experience with basic school projects and being able to solve challenging tasks creatively are the primary challenges that prompted the creation of Les Enfants d’Abord, Kase explained. Low literacy rates in this country seem to have a direct link to why unemployment in Senegal is so high, the event organizers said. The less quality education children receive there, the less likely they are to improve their outcomes or in some cases hold a job in their country.

“It’s really important that children, both local and international, get exposed to project-based learning so that they develop creative thinking and science skills,” Kase said. “I’ve worked in Senegal for over a year and none of the upper level management positions were filled by Senegalese people, because the school didn’t produce people who had those skills,” Kase added.

Kase expressed that what he wants individuals who attend this event to take away is the importance of Senegalese children receiving an education, but a quality education that incorporates creativity and science within their curriculum. In addition, he also wants individuals to appreciate the cultural connections and history that the Senegalese and the New Orleans cultures share.

Tickets to the event are $60, and are available for purchase online at www.enfants-dabord.org. The event will feature an open bar with local beer and spirits, special Senegalese hors d’oeuvres, live music from Afrissippi, a Senegalese Mbalax band from Oxford, Miss., a silent auction from locally-owned New Orleans shops, and exhibits showing the activities and results of Les Enfant d’Abord’s programs.