Living in Rebeuss, Dakar: Dakar University

Cheick Anta-Diop University (UCAD), also known as Dakar University, is among the biggest (and most well-known) universities in West Africa. Its campus is huge, majestic and... crowded.

“The number of students grows each year, but the infrastructure stays the same,” explained Omer, an undergraduate student who I met on campus. “People are so packed in those old and worn out amphitheaters, that only the lucky ones can be seated during class. People get to class as early as 6 AM [2 hours ahead of time] in order to have a seat,” said his friend François, a journalism student.

The classes are full, but it is nothing comparable to student housing. As many as 8 students usually share the small rooms, furnished with 2 simple beds. “I have not slept alone in a bed for 3 years,” admits Omer. "We all have brothers [read: friends from hometown] who have no place to sleep when they come to Dakar to study. We accomodate them in our room." Recently, the university closed five old housing buildings, causing a huge scarcity of housing... and anger among students.

"Everybody knows the issue here. A minimum of 8 students share a room in men's housing, and as many as 15 in women's," said Khalifa Diagne, the University's head of social services. "Students put a lot of pressure on us, but we wait for the government to build new buildings".

Furthermore, students own small businesses inside their rooms. In a single corridor, you could easily see hundreds of advertisements of any kind: photocopies, printing, photo-taking or even text-typing and hair dressing. “Everybody has their own business,” said Ibrahima, an owner of two small photocopy machines placed in the hallway. “The grant of 36 000 fFCA [$72] is insufficient. Also, I need money for my family, in the countryside.”

But his business might soon be closed by the University, who plan to erradicate all small illegal shops on campus. "For a long time, students thought everything was permitted," said Mr Diagne. Clearly, this is no longer the mentality: "Recently, we cleaned up all the illegal cantines [food pits] on campus, and we now attack the businesses in student housing," said the official. The next step: the authorities want to regulate religious practices on campus. This will be a hard task, since dozens of religious organizations are seen - and heard - in or around Dakar University.