Interview with Alioune Dème | Uniting Riverine Cultures through the Regional Water Museum in Senegal

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.1.15

Keywords:

Senegal river, water museum, hydro-technology, hydro-diplomacy, anthropology of water

Abstract

In March 2022, the Ninth World Water Forum, focusing on the theme of “Water Security for Peace and Development,” was held in Dakar, Senegal. Responding to the recommendations of the Forum and sanctioned by the Dakar Declaration, “A Blue Deal for Water and Sanitation Security for Peace and Development,” Senegal’s Ministry of Water and Sanitation, Minister of Culture and Communication, the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar and the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), in partnership with the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa in Dakar, met twice to consult and reflect. Through this process, they decided to combine their efforts to create a regional water museum in Senegal. This initiative is the result of the recommendations of the World Water Forum, several sessions of Action Group 4E “Increasing Water Efficiency and Sustainable Management through Science, Technology, Innovation and Education,” and various activities of UNESCO, one of the Forum’s strategic partners.

How to Cite

Dème, A., & Donkor, C. (2025). Interview with Alioune Dème | Uniting Riverine Cultures through the Regional Water Museum in Senegal. Blue Papers, 4(1), 204–11. https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.1.15

Published

2025-07-09

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): Water & Heritage for Sustainable Development

Section

methodologies and case studies

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Copyright (c) 2025 Alioune Dème, Carlien Donkor

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Alioune Dème

Alioune Dème is Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal). He earned his PhD from Rice University in Houston, Texas, in 2004. His dissertation is entitled “Archeological Investigations of Settlement and Emerging Complexity in the Middle Senegal Valley.” A member of the World Water Academy, Dème has authored many published works including “Ancient Developments in the Middle Senegal Valley and the Inland Niger Delta,” in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History (2018); “Pêche et interactions entre la Moyenne Vallée du fleuve Sénégal et le littoral atlantique Sénégalo-Mauritanien durant le dernier millénaire BC,” in La mer dans l’Histoire: l’Antiquité (2017).

Carlien Donkor, Leiden University

Carlien Donkor is a PhD candidate at the African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL), interested in traditional ingenuity and historical practices of living on and with water, and their positioning in inclusive development frameworks. Her experience as an architect and project manager, combines research, design and construction for climate-resilient and context-sensitive solutions. She was among the winners of the EU Sparks hackathon in which The Nettuniani proposal was awarded the best solution for climate adaptation. Other interests include community collaborations and multimedia installations.