page_title: Joal-Fadiouth
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Joal-Fadiouth / History
caption_attribution_description: Intérieur de l'église de Fadiouth (Sénégal)
context_page_description: Joal-Fadiouth is a town and commune in the Thiès Region at the end of the Petite Côte of Senegal, south-east of Dakar.
  Joal lies on the mainland, while Fadiouth, linked by a bridge, lies on an island of clam shells, which are also used in local architecture and crafts. The village has no motorised transport evidenced by the sign on entering. It has large Christian and Muslim populations with cemeteries on another shell island. Another attraction is granaries on stilts in the water. The population of the commune in 2013 was some 46,000.
context_section_description: While the origin of the village remains disputed, the establishment of the Serer in the area is assumed to have begun when the advance of the Almoravids in the 11th century forced them to leave the Sénégal River valley, occupying the Petite Côte and the region of the Sine River. Another theory claims that Joal and Fadiouth have been founded by the Guelowar when they were expelled from the kingdom of Kaabu. Both of these theories find their validation by observing the frequency of certain surnames, indicating ethnic group in the region.
  In the early 17th century, until around 1635, a community of Portuguese Jewish traders lived in the village, trading with West Africa, Portugal and the Netherlands. Protected by the local chief, they were allowed to openly profess their religion, to the annoyance of the Portuguese (Catholic) government.
  During the colonial period, Joal became one of the largest trading posts in Western Senegal. The setting up of European posts during the triangular trade made the village one of the regions that was penetrated by missionaries as early as the 17th-century. The proselytisation however was met by strong resistance by the local population, delaying large-scale evangelising by the Europeans to the 19th-century when Senegal became a French colony. In 1850, a mission was finally established in the village, the first priest was ordained there in 1885.
  It was during that time that the passage of El Hadj Umar Tall was commemorated by building a mosque for his appraisal. The important architectural legacy recalling this memorable passing is in danger of deterioration.
caption: The church of Fadiout
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "E3700", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0", "Image DateTime": "2007:08:13 18:59:03", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "236", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "954", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4847", "EXIF ExposureTime": "10/151", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2005:09:17 18:53:22", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2005:09:17 18:53:22", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "27/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2048", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1536", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "35", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}