In Senegal, a unique initiative is using the enchanting sounds of whales to educate children about environmental protection and biodiversity. The Germes d’Écocitoyens à travers les sciences et les traditions dans les univers d’apprentissage (Gestu) association recently organized three special sessions in Dakar primary schools. These engaging workshops featured Professor Olivier Adam, a renowned cetacean specialist, introducing young students to the intricate language of whales. Our journey took us to Alieu Samb primary school in Dakar’s Ngor district, where one such captivating session unfolded.
With rapt attention, seated at their school desks, around thirty CM2 students listened intently to a recording of a humpback whale. These captivating sounds were captured off the coast of Ouakam in Dakar in both 2018 and 2022.
“These songs, the sounds you just heard, belong to humpback whales, and these majestic creatures come to Dakar to give birth. Their calves are true Dakarois,” explained Olivier Adam, a professor from Sorbonne University.
For this expert in cetacean acoustics, there is a profound importance in making people understand that whales possess a complex language. “I was initially astonished when I first recorded whales and realized they emitted intentional, structured sounds that form a language,” shared the professor, who traveled from Paris specifically to engage with these children. “Every time I meet students, children, I feel it’s absolutely vital for them to know this. We need to comprehend our oceans, and we can only truly understand the ocean by knowing the living species within it.”
The curious young minds eagerly posed their 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?”
For 12-year-old Fanta, it was “their song and their way of speaking” that left the deepest impression.
Thierry, the CM2 teacher at Alieu Samb school in Ngor, Dakar, emphasized the critical nature of this marine life education. He recounted his own revelation: “Without this knowledge, you wouldn’t know, for example, what I 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, an experienced underwater hunter for over 30 years and the one responsible for the whale recordings in Dakar, helped lead the workshop. He underscored the urgency of combating ignorance, noting his daily diminishing fish catches. “I was fortunate to experience nature as it once was and witness its radical transformation. Last year, I caught only five thiofs all year. If we continue this trend, one day we’ll speak of thiof to our children, and they’ll ask what it is because it no longer exists,” the fisherman lamented. “We are heading into a deep hole. For me, it’s time for people to wake up!”
Two other schools in Dakar also hosted Professor Olivier Adam and his whale recordings. Alongside these sessions, the Gestu association organizes waste collection awareness days, striving to foster a lasting change in environmental mindsets across Senegal.
