Watching TV, Senegalese Style

I live really close to an appliance store with large bay windows. Occasionally, I would walk up to my building and see a group of people congregated around the bay window of the store.

I finally figured something was amiss when I saw two young men, on plastic chairs, checking out the TV in the store. They had a cheaply manufactured remote control from the market and had managed to turn on the store TV from the outside. The sound was very little low (owing to the thickness of the window) but they generally seemed to have a grand old time.

Yesterday was an important soccer game in Senegal. I don't follow sports but I assume that was the case: at least 50 people were gathered around the window, crowding to get closer, with small battery operated radio close to their ear, trying to follow the game on TV and on the radio. Cafe sellers momentarily set their rolling carts to the side and even the coconut sellers left their coconut wheel barrows unattended. I managed to see a player just miss the goal by standing on my tippy-toes.

I swear, next time, I'm going to rush back home, get my dining room chair and join in the fun.

I miss television.