discover my meeting place in Senegal

CheZofia in Abene

You’ll find Abene in Casamance, the greenest and most prosperous province of Senegal, at the Atlantic coast. Abene is a beautiful and quiet village which lingers like a ribbon towards the ocean. Its population is approximately 2000.

Ont-moeten

“Ontmoeten” is the Dutch word for “to meet” however, written with a dash it also means “no more musts” which can be translated into: “No more meeting of all sorts of demands”.
‘CheZofia’ is a place in Abene which offers the opportunity in the unique, relaxing, beautiful area of Southern Senegal for people to stop having to do anything, no more demands. It is a place where Senegalese culture meets European culture, where guests can find themselves again and where culture, relaxation and nature go hand in hand.
Chezofia offers the opportunity to not having to hurry and find inner peace, inspiration and creativity at the beach, and feel and taste Africa. Chezofia is a wondrous location in the middle of the sublime area of Casamance with a European accent where Abene’s meaning is done justice. Place of meeting end no more demands.
Staying at CheZofia

About 500 yards from the main road you’ll find CheZofia, in the midst of nature and at walking or cycling distance from the village market on one side and the beach on the other. CheZofia consists of 4 traditional huts, made of clay, with toilets and 4 large huts with 4 bedrooms each plus bathrooms. The huts have all the basics, mats, twin beds, mosquito nets, and sanitary provisions. Electricity is provided by solar power.
It’s a deliberate choice to keep the provisions basic. They’re all that’s essential for a comfortable stay while at the same time bearing in mind the burden for the surroundings. It contributes to the experience of living in the nature and in line with how local population lives.
The terrain is spacious with many trees local shrubs and flowers. There is tap water and a large well.
Staying at CheZofia is full board. Breakfast will be French bread with locally produced honey, coffee and tea. Lunch will be a traditional meal, again with local produce. Dinner is often a meal with a European dash.
Groups

CheZofia offers space for groups of maximum 10 people, divided amongst 2 houses with 4 rooms. There is ample opportunity to organize your own workshops such as meditation, yoga, painting, dancing etc. There is also the possibility to participate in locally organized activities such as djembé and dancing.
Board prices starting from € 20 a day
Contribute

Payment is based on a stay in a private hut with full board: € 30 per person per day. If you share a hut it will be € 20 per day per person.
A stay with just breakfast will be € 20 per person per day. In a shared hut € 15 per person per day.
Pricing for groups on demand.

Abene and surroundings

One can rent bicycles in Abene to explore the area for € 3,50 a day. It is recommended to make clear agreements on the price. In the area one will find mangroves, ancient old baobao trees and riding your bicycle on the beach when the tide is out is a great experience. Coming back you will feel very welcome at Solo’s beach bar for a freshly squeezed glass of fruit juice.
Nature/climate

Typical for Abene are two seasons, rain season in July, August ans September and the dry season with varying temperatures between 25 and 32 degrees celtigrade. Also winds vary, in February and March you’ll find a fairly strong sea wind.
Abene’s vegetation is rich, many trees and the beach is bordered by pine trees. The beach itself is wide, calm end clean, very child friendly. The ocean is clean, clear and is shared with the local fishermen.
Population and culture

Abene has a multi-cultural society, mainly Mandingo and Diola. The meaning of the word Abene comes from Mandingo: “Place to meet”.
Both Mandingo as well as Diola are minorities in Senegal where the largest ethnical population is Wolof. All ethnical groups live with and next to each other in Senegal with each their own language. However, because of the colonial past, French is spoken by most. English is very common too which is due to nabouring Gambia, which is a former British colony.
Despite its size Abene has a rich cultural tradition of which the highlight is in December during the annual Abene Festivalo. The Festivalo offers daily performances of dance, music and singing. Local perfomers and artists offer courses of Djembé and dance. Because of its small scale Abene is an excellent opportunity to get to know local culture and participating in it. It’s very common to join the local fishermen when they go out and eat the catch of the day the same day.
Getting to Abene

There are several options to travel to Abene. Several airlines offer direct flights to Banjul, Gambia, where you can be picked up by taxi (€ 50) which will take you to CheZofia. From Dakar one can take a boat to South Senegal or get a taxi and have an adventurous ride through Senegal to CheZofia.

Massages and body-work

I’ll be staying in Amsterdam usually in spring and summer and of course we can meet there.

I have my own practice since 1992. The Zen philosophy is my main source of inspiration. My principle is that one cannot force change or cure but one can create space for it. By means of several sorts of massage I help my clients to get in touch with what’s happening within them. Body-work helps keeping the body flexible, which improves the general condition. This is an important support for dealing with external pressures, both mental as well as physical. In my practice, core principles are: relaxation, flow of energy and being in touch with the body. Anybody who is struggling with stress, fatigue or unclear, chronicle complaints can benefit from my treatments.

Methods and techniques

I apply a combination of techniques, depending on individual needs. They are mainly massage techniques such as classical massage, deep-tissue massage, Esalen massage, Shiatsu, foot-reflex massage and bio-energetic exercises.

Practical issues

A 90 minutes session is € 90 Please contact me via the contact form

Hoever zijn we?

Nieuwe hutten

Groentetuin

etc.

About Zofia

Zofia Dusza was born and raised in Poland where she also studied. She has specialized in psycho-social support with special attention for body focused methods. She has her own practice called: “Lichaamswerk” (Body-work).

In 2009 she founded her meeting place in Abene, Senegal where she offers space to small groups, intending to have their own workshops, or who wish to participate in course on Djembé or dancing. In 2013 Zofia started a local platform for weekly jam-session full of roots music.

Meet the Team

Co-workers at CheZofia, Abene

Fatou

Fatou is the cook and Zofia’s right hand. She runs the place if she is away.

Kokkie

Dagelijkse leiding

Abdoul

Abdoul is taking care of the garden and plays a key roll in the food supply.

Tuinman

Onderhoud terrein

Reacties

Send Zofia a message

State as many details as possible: when, with how many you want to come? special wishes? etc.

Contact

If you want to give me a call in Senegal: +221 777 833 171