Discover West Africa: Top 7 Fascinating Facts You Never Knew!

1. Harmattan Haze Hangover

Feeling a little dusty after a wild night out in West Africa? You might just be experiencing the notorious Harmattan haze: a seasonal phenomenon where dust particles from the Sahara desert cause hazy skies, health issues, transportation challenges, and even an increased risk of fire outbreaks.
Source => journals.lww.com

2. Dakar's Lemon Art Buses

When life gave Dakar lemons, they painted them and made mobile works of art: the "car rapide" has been West Africa's go-to mode of transport for over 40 years, adorned with Muslim slogans, holy men portraits, and vivid fauna and flora imagery - so famous, there's an exhibition in the Museum of Mankind in Paris just for them!
Source => reuters.com

Did you know the Yoruba people of Nigeria have a surprisingly high rate of fraternal twinning? It might be due to their love for white yams! Learn more about this fascinating connection.

=> Fun Facts about Nigeria

3. Ghana's Dipo Rites: Showcasing Marriage Skills

Looking for love in all the right places: The Dipo Rites in Ghana is an annual festival where young women showcase their skills and readiness for marriage. After a week-long training in essential domestic skills, the initiates don their finest kente cloth and perform the mesmerizing Klama dance, flaunting their newly-acquired expertise and beckoning potential suitors to explore their family ties.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Dogon People: Cliffside Living Masters

Who needs skyscrapers when you've got cliffs? The Dogon people sure don't: occupying gravity-defying homes atop, beneath, and terraced along the colossal Falaise de Bandiagara, these Malian locals have been taking "living on the edge" to new heights for centuries. Balancing their intricate animist religion and blood-soaked sacrificial ceremonies on this precarious cliff, they demonstrate a breathtaking harmony with nature and a distinct resilience to both ancient pygmy tribes and pesky modern-day mosquitoes.
Source => nytimes.com

5. Senegalese Wrestling: Njom Lutte Supremacy

Who needs an Avengers workout when you can wrestle your way to warrior status in Senegal: Njom Lutte, or Senegalese wrestling, was once a training exercise for war among the Serer people, and now stands as a national sport complete with ego-boosting bàkk, an oral art form to narrate one's accomplishments and put rivals in their place.
Source => sheenmagazine.com

6. Palm Wine: West Africa's Tree-to-Glass Drink

Move over, wine connoisseurs, there's a new grapeless sipper that's tickling palates and palm trees alike in West Africa: Palm wine, a sweet, milky, and fizzy fermented drink made from the sap of various palm species, is packed with amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and sugars, boasting a unique microbiota of yeasts like S. cerevisiae, S. ludwigii, and Candida parapsilopsis, and LABs like Lactobacillus plantarum, making it as delightful as it is nutritious in places like Ghana, Cameroon, and throughout West Africa.
Source => sciencedirect.com

7. Kola Nut: Forget Starbucks, Africa's Got Your Caffeine Fix

Who needs Starbucks when you've got the real West African deal: The kola nut, a cash crop for poor rural farmers, serves as a central nervous system stimulant thanks to its generous caffeine content—enough to warrant its use as a food flavoring in Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and numerous energy drinks. Though you might come across centuries-old tales celebrating the nut's mysterious health benefits, we suggest taking them with a pinch of salt until proven otherwise. Fear not, kola nut enthusiasts! It's deemed safe by the FDA and other prestigious global agencies, so enjoy your caffeinated delight.
Source => healthline.com