Senegal’s Jazz Celebration Returns After COVID-19 Health Crisis

Last year, the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to Senegal's yearly jazz music festival for the first time in its 29-year history.

This year the festival returned, bringing much needed life to the island of Saint¹ Louis. The island was chosen by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage² site. UNESCO chooses World Heritage sites for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of importance.

Saint Louis is famous for its building styles from the 1800s and light-colored houses.

Hundreds of jazz fans listened to French-Senegalese singer Awa Ly sing blues³ music on the island recently.

Ly said she felt a sense of relief, or ease, with the festival's return.

"I was relieved, and everybody else was relieved too. It was a beautiful energy, a beautiful vibration⁴ and a beautiful link between the stage and the audience."

African rhythms, funk, gospel and blues music could be heard along the small streets of Saint Louis. Music played from restaurants, drinking places and hotels into the early morning.

Saint Louis escaped the deadliest effects of the COVID-19 disease. But a sharp drop in tourism and a weakened economy have left its citizens ready for an emotional lift that only its largest yearly event could provide.

The festival in Senegal is known as Africa's biggest jazz festival. But it has struggled with decreasing crowds since having performers like American pianist Herbie Hancock. He last performed there in 1996.

Still, the festival gets music fans from across West Africa and Europe, and the city's street performers are happy to have them. One of those street performers is 25-year-old Adama Ndaw. He told Reuters, "Jazz attracted a lot of tourists so we could play in the streets, so we managed to collect a little money. Nothing was there last year, but today it is good."

Members of Jamm Jazz, a band from the capital Dakar, were happy as they performed. The audience danced or sat closely together around crowded tables.

"The festival not taking place last year was an economic disaster for Saint Louis," said band leader Moustapha Diop. "This year, despite the crisis⁵, the festival was held because if it wasn't, it would be a big blow for the city to come."

Words in This Story

festival –n. an organized series of performances

style –n. a particular way of designing something often linked to a time period

vibration –n. a feeling that someone has or that something gives you

stage –n. a raised structure in a theater or auditorium⁶ where performers stand

audience –n. a group of people gathered together to listen to or watch a performance or movie

tourism –n. the business of providing hotels, restaurants, entertainment and other services to people who are traveling

1 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

2 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

4 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

5 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

6 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。