--- description: TIME contract photographer Dominic Nahr documents the opposition movement in Senegal, which is hoping to unite the spark of reform and political consciousness not just in the country, but across Africa, to finally bring to a close the unhappy era of the continent's Big Men. title: Senegalese Election Photographs by Dominic Nahr image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56ceda5183784b73/69879ccccd684861a609b606/nad2012003g15022036.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The African Spring: Senegal by Dominic Nahr by [Alex Perry](/author/alex-perry/) ## Alex Perry Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 28, 2012 9:00 AM CUT  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012\. Youssou N'Dour looks at the crowd forming around him in Independence Square after street clashes between protesters and police. Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012\. Youssou N'Dour looks at the crowd forming around him in Independence Square after street clashes between protesters and police.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME by [Alex Perry](/author/alex-perry/) ## Alex Perry Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 28, 2012 9:00 AM CUT They’re using a new type of tear gas in Senegal. It chokes you, blinds you, but it also burns and stings, like it’s been mixed with pepper spray. It’s a sensation with which more and more Senegalese are becoming familiar as presidential elections were held this past weekend. Among them is Africa’s most famous living musician, Youssou N’Dour, who tried to run for the presidency, was barred from doing so by the regime of President Abdoulaye Wade and is now helping lead a protest movement aimed at unseating Wade and restoring democracy in Senegal. The stakes are high, for two reasons. Senegal has a long and proud democratic tradition and is something of a weathervane for West Africa. And the opposition movement is hoping to unite the spark of reform and political consciousness not just in Senegal, but across Africa, to finally bring to close the unhappy era of the continent’s Big Men. Will they succeed? Almost everyone thinks Wade will win the election, not least, Western diplomats and opposition campaigners say, because the fix is in: they claimed to have evidence of hundreds of thousands of voting cards that have not been distributed to opposition supporters and the names of hundreds of thousands of fictitious voters appearing on the electoral role. But N’Dour and other opposition leaders claim they are in the fight for the long haul. “This is about patriotic civil duty,” N’Dour tells TIME. “More than that, what we are doing here is a model for a new Africa, one where power is returned to the people. I respect music, I do, I love it. But for the time being, my music is on hold. Senegal and its future are far more important. They’re my priority.” Read more: [“Youssou N’Dour’s Protest Song”](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2107486,00.html?pcd=pw-lb "undefined") _Alex Perry is_ TIME’_s Africa bureau chief._ _Dominic Nahr, a_ TIME _contract photographer, photographed the_ [_Arab Spring in Egypt_](http://lightbox.time.com/2011/04/04/the-uprising-reflections-on-the-egyptian-revolution-by-dominic-nahr/ "undefined")_. Nahr is represented by_ [_Magnum_](http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific%5FMAG.PhotographerDetail%5FVPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3RT4UBI7&nm=Dominic%20Nahr "undefined")_._  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012\. Youssou N'Dour looks at the crowd forming around him in Independence Square after street clashes between protesters and police. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012\. Senegalese youth shout while Youssou N'Dour talks to fans and supporters in Independence Square. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012\. Senegalese police respond to a demonstration in Independence Square with stun grenades, tear gas and a water cannon. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 13, 2012\. Security guards surround an opposition leader who waves to crowds from his black pickup truck during a campaign in one of the poor suburbs on the outskirts of Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 12, 2012\. A technician prepares to dismantle speakers used during the "Y'en ai marre" rally in Obelisk Square in central Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 12, 2012\. Hundreds of Senegalese watch and support the "Y'en ai marre" movement during a rally in Obelisk Square in central Dakar. The event is a rap concert in addition to a forum where residents can voice their concerns about living conditions in Senegal. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012\. A Senegalese woman sits on a bench with her belongings while others watch the demonstrations by various opposition leaders in Independence Square, shortly before fighting broke out between the protesters and police. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 14, 2012\. A Senegalese street vendor sits with her child in front of a Youssou N'Dour for President graffito close to the university in central Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 14, 2012\. Riot police take over Obelisk Square in central Dakar before a scheduled demonstration by the "Y'en ai marre" movement. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 14, 2012\. The communications director stretches while a girl talks on the phone in the apartment of the "Y'en ai marre" movement in Dakar's backstreets. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 14, 2012\. A traditional Senegalese fighter takes a break from training on the beach in one of the poorest suburbs on the outskirts of Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 13, 2012\. A Senegalese boy dances to the music from his headphones in a community center in one of the poor suburbs on the outskirts of Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 14, 2012\. A horse is seen in one of the poor suburbs on the outskirts of Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 13, 2012\. Young Senegalese men, most of whom are unemployed, sing and rap in a poor suburb on the outskirts of Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 14, 2012\. Fishermen pull in their boats on the beach after a days work with little results. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME  Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 13, 2012\. Senegalese boys, many unemployed, come together to dance in a community center in one of the poor suburbs on the outskirts of Dakar. Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3786562/senegal-spring/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3786562/senegal-spring/"},"headline":"The African Spring: Senegal by Dominic Nahr","datePublished":"2012-02-28T09:00:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:10.669Z","description":"TIME contract photographer Dominic Nahr documents the opposition movement in Senegal, which is hoping to unite the spark of reform and political consciousness not just in the country, but across Africa, to finally bring to a close the unhappy era of the continent's Big Men.","url":"https://time.com/3786562/senegal-spring/","keywords":["LightBox","Africa","News","photography","Election","opposition","magnum photos","senegal","Photojournalism","Dominic Nahr","photo essay"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56ceda5183784b73/69879ccccd684861a609b606/nad2012003g15022036.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Perry","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-perry/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56ceda5183784b73/69879ccccd684861a609b606/nad2012003g15022036.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME","caption":"Dakar, Senegal, Feb. 15, 2012. Youssou N'Dour looks at the crowd forming around him in Independence Square after street clashes between protesters and police.","creditText":"Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3786562/senegal-spring/","name":"The African Spring: Senegal by Dominic Nahr"}}]}] ```