Thirty wide-eyed CM2 students sat captivated at their desks, listening intently to the recorded songs of a humpback whale. These unique recordings were captured off the coast of Ouakam, Dakar, in 2018 and again in 2022.

Professor Olivier Adam, a distinguished academic from the Sorbonne, explained the significance of these sounds. “These songs, the sounds you just heard, are from humpback whales. Humpback whales visit Dakar, and they give birth right here in Dakar. Their young are true Dakarois,” he passionately shared.

As a leading expert in cetacean acoustics, Professor Adam emphasized the profound importance of making the concept of whale language accessible to all. “I was initially astonished when I first recorded whales and realized they emitted intentional, structured sounds, akin to a language,” he recounted, having traveled from Paris specifically to engage with these children. “Every time I meet students, young children, I feel it’s absolutely vital for them to know this. We need to comprehend our oceans, and that understanding begins with knowing the living species within them.”

The curious pupils eagerly posed a flurry of questions: “How many stomachs does a whale have? How many types of whales are there? How do whales give birth? What do they eat?”

Fanta, a 12-year-old student, expressed her amazement, stating that “their song and their way of talking” impressed her the most.

Thierry, the CM2 teacher at Alieu Samb school in Ngor, Dakar, underscored the critical nature of this education about the living world. He reflected on his own learning, “Without this knowledge, you wouldn’t know, for instance, what I just learned: that a whale can only have one calf per birth. This means it’s a species that, if not protected, could vanish.”

Babacar Sy, an underwater hunter with over 30 years of experience and the individual responsible for recording these Dakar whales, co-led the workshop. He highlighted the urgent need to combat ignorance, noting his daily struggle with dwindling fish catches. “I was fortunate enough to experience nature as it once was, and to witness its radical transformation. Last year, I caught only five thiofs throughout the entire year. If we continue on this path, one day we’ll speak of thiofs to our children, and they’ll ask what they are, because they’ll no longer exist,” the fisherman lamented. “We are heading into a deep hole. For me, it’s time for people to wake up!”

In addition to these sessions, which included Professor Adam’s whale recordings, the Gestu association held similar workshops at two other schools in Dakar. Through these educational initiatives and awareness days focused on waste collection, Gestu aims to foster a significant shift in public attitudes towards environmental stewardship.