Develop and internationalize the city's major cultural events

Kaolack, a crossroads of Saloum, possesses a vibrant cultural heritage: Ngoyaan (or Ndaga), a traditional musical style from Saloum blending Mandingo songs and dances, is inscribed on the national representative list of intangible cultural heritage. Several events already animate the city. The International Festival "Les voix du Sine-Saloum" (FESIVOS) held its second edition from December 2 to 8, 2024, at the Kaolack cultural center, involving the cultural centers of Kaffrine, Fatick, and Kaolack, focusing on cultural diversity and the history of traditional music, with the "nights" of Sine, Ndoucoumane, and Saloum, and a symposium. The "72 heures du Sine-Saloum," initiated by El Hadj Fallou Kébé, brought together communities and the "Bour" of Sine and Saloum in traditional costumes on the city center esplanade, with a project for a foundation for culture, sport, economy, and environment of Sine-Saloum. The Senegalese Tassou Festival (Festass) annually gathers generations of musicians, rappers, and poets, and artists advocate for a regional orchestra. The city also has heritage to promote: the Great Mosque of Médina Baye, the Valdiodio Ndiaye high school classified as historical heritage, the former disused courthouse, the craft village, and the Leisure and Culture Park. These initiatives remain fragile and little known internationally. This mission mobilizes the diaspora to structure, finance, and internationalize Kaolack's cultural events, promote Saloum's heritage, and transform them into levers for influence, cultural tourism, and employment for young artists.