Paper Short Abstract:

Dakar's urban pulse beats in concrete blocks, not just as building materials but as dynamic catalysts. From laundry lines to impromptu seats, these blocks move and are diverted from their original route, revealing a metropolis shaped by everyday practices and emergent materialities.

Paper Abstract:

In the heart of Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, the concrete jungle (Martinez) has been taking form for years now, comprised of grey architectures sculpted by ubiquitous concrete blocks. These unassuming blocks, manufactured informally across the city on available plots of land, navigate the bustling streets on trucks and horse carriages, destined to pile up on ongoing or future construction sites. They escape the scrutiny of the inattentive urbanite. But far from petrifying the city, these concrete blocks play a central role in the vibrant tapestry of social interactions and urban practices. Adopting a flaneur's perspective, akin to Coates and Benjamin, I have observed their integration into daily life—women drying clothes on block stacks, blocks forming makeshift passages during the rainy season, street vendors utilizing them as impromptu benches, and children turning block piles into playgrounds. These seemingly mundane objects transcend their construction origins and take diverse paths in the city. These diversions are becoming integral to the urban design of Dakar beyond the pure construction sector. Analyzing concrete blocks as urban things (Appadurai, Lieto) and drawing on AbduMaliq Simone's concept of “People as Infrastructure” and De Certeau's “Practice of Everyday Life”, this paper explores the emergence of unexpected materialities in Dakar, shedding light on how these elements shape a flexible and dynamic cityscape.