Why does the sinking of the Joola still haunt Senegal?

Content warning: This podcast includes vivid descriptions of the sinking of the Joola which some listeners might find distressing.

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Twenty years ago, news of terrible event began to spread throughout the city of Ziguinchor in the south of Senegal. A passenger ferry – carrying more than 1,800 people from Casamance to the capital Dakar in the north – had gone down in a storm with the loss of almost everyone on board. Amongst the dead were 444 children. Just about everyone in the small city knew someone who’d died. In the months and years that followed enquiries blamed a number of shortcomings including overcrowding and a lack of safety measures and radio equipment to call for help. But despite the scale of the disaster – with hundreds more deaths than in the Titanic – those affected say they now feel abandoned and forgotten. They want the boat – and the remains of their loved ones - to be raised from the seabed. Now a BBC documentary has heard from two of the just 64 people who survived – as well as from those who lost family members. Victoria Uwonkunda spoke to Efrem Gebreab, one of the documentary's producers, for Africa Daily – and listens to some of the testimonies of those affected. ‘The Joola: Africa’s Titanic’ can be seen on BBC Africa Youtube. Producers: Efrem Gebreab, Wahany Sambou and Frederic Tendeng. Director: Nicky Milne Camera: John Wendle