Mobile device: the Sentoukay

In order to analyse pedestrian mobility in Dakar, in addition to other diagnostic tools, the UFI Dakar team set up in the streets of the capital with a mobile device: the sentoukaye. In Wolof, this means "street observatory", and that is indeed the role of these three portable objects that the team designed and had made by craftsmen in the suburbs.

The first element of the sentoukaye, like a long view, allows us to zoom in on details and focus our gaze on elements isolated from the whole. The second, which acts as a periscope, allows us to see from higher up, again changing our perception of everyday space. The third, like an inverted megaphone, amplifies the sounds of the street and allows us to hear them in a different way. The sentoukaye was used to conduct interviews and discussions with local residents and shopkeepers, and to understand how the area works and the difficulties encountered by its users. The team was able to use this device to shift the interviewee's perspective and gather reactions to these new perceptions.