Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in Senegal, along with wrestling and football. The jockeys become professional from a very young age. Among them, Fallou Diop, 19 years old, the national star who is winning one victory after another and galvanising a youth that is striving for its future.
This young Senegalese rider has been making a name for himself in horse racing for several years. He trains in the suburbs of Dakar, near the Pink Lake.
The best male hope of Senegalese jockeys, nothing predestined this child from an underprivileged background who left school at the age of 12 to ride a racehorse and win one race after another. Today,
Fallou Diop, in a country where the average monthly salary is about 180 euros, can earn up to 600 dollars per race. With this money, the young man helps his father, a farmer, who has two wives and fifteen children, financially. He pays for his siblings' schooling, has financed a new roof for his family and helps his neighbours in Niaga, his home village. He is always surrounded by a crowd of young fans who admire his achievements. Many dream of becoming jockeys, although few will be able to make it.
The equine industry is a reservoir of jobs for young Senegalese, in a country where unemployment among 15-34 year olds is 15%.
Fallou's dream is now to compete in Morocco and France where he hopes to train in 2022