Serialization 【 Afro-Japanese Blues. 〜Vol.1 My Second Hometown. Senegal, the country that recognized and loved me.

Fascinated by black culture and passion forLamrofand an African jewelry label calledAFLOGICAL JEWELRYSDaisuke Sakamoto, aka Shirley, is a fashion designer who pours generously into the "Shirley" brand.

In addition, in recent years, the company has been developing a new label, "Miscellaneous Goods," which focuses on items from the American mid-century period, which it had been operating for some time.EARTHY ANTIQUESHe has also changed the direction of his business to mainly African goods, expressing the black culture he loves from various angles.

The term "Afro-zero" means "of African origin. In this sense, Sakamoto is an "Afro-Japanese" with roots in Africa, even though he is Japanese.

In this series, we introduce the people, things, and things that Mr. Sakamoto has seen while wandering around the world, especially in Africa, through his own filter. We present the realities of black culture as he sees it, how he incorporates it into his products, and the realities of the black culture that has fascinated him, through actual photos and Sakamoto's own voice.

Photo_Sha-Le (Daisuke Sakamoto)
Edit_Naoya Tsuneshige

Senegal, my second home.

After a 37-hour flight, including transit stops in Switzerland and Belgium, Mr. Sakamoto arrived at Dakar International Airport in Senegal, and we asked him about his first visit to Senegal in a year.

Senegal is like a second home to me. In fact, I have a host family here in Africa, about 14,000 km away from Japan. It all started when I became friends with a Senegalese fashion model living in Japan, Cimmer, after we hit it off in Japan about five years ago.

Sakamoto and Senegalese model Cimaire, who lives in Japan.

I wanted to go to Africa, so Cimmer introduced me to his wife and her family, who lived there, and they welcomed me. They gave me a Senegalese name, Bamba, and treated me like a real family member. In Japan, my nickname is "Shirley," so it's a bit complicated (laughs).

Mr. Sakamoto said he was excited to be reunited with his family. This time, he was in Senegal alone, not with Chimère. He recalls the scene of their reunion as follows.

The Brothers picked me up at the airport and we had an emotional reunion with my host family. I could feel that everyone was truly happy, and at this point I felt that it was already worth my while to come.

They immediately prepared a stable Senegalese-style dinner for us, and we had the most wonderful time, immersed in the joy of reunion and nostalgic tastes. Of course, I don't understand all of their language, but I feel like I am connected to this family through their heart.... With such a happy feeling, I slowly drifted off to sleep on the first day.

Crazy Japaneses.

From the second day, we went buying, which was one of the objectives of the trip. Jewelry, antique masks, antique African goods... It seemed that for four days in a row, we were immersed in the market from morning till night.

I had a general idea of the atmosphere of Dakar, Senegal, and where the markets were, thanks to my previous extended stay there. I had gathered information and checked out the local markets at that time, so I decided to go there first this time as well.

As you might imagine, price negotiation in Africa is very difficult. Of course, there is no such concept as price tags in Africa, and you have to negotiate. But that style suits me. The rules vary from country to country, even in Africa, but I consider myself a professional negotiator to the extent that I can proudly say that I am a professional.

I can often win so much ground in the pocket that people joke, "You're crazy Japanese, you're going to kill me!" I can often get in the pocket and win the root of the problem to the point of making people make jokes about it (laughs). (Laughs.) However, even though I am used to it, it is really tiring. There is no such thing as a smooth and pleasant shopping experience. The energy of African people is extraordinary, so I always have to face them with 120%. To be honest, it is quite tiring, but I also enjoy buying, thinking, 'Ah, I'm back.

Some local people seem to remember Mr. Sakamoto, and he shared this episode with us.

I had dreadlocks a year ago, and even though I shaved my head, the dealers in the market said, "Bamba, we remember you! I remember you! How are you? I was so happy. I was very happy. I was often told, "You're the first Japanese in the market. But they remembered me and were happy to see me again, which was very exciting.

Mr. Sakamoto on his last visit to Senegal. Despite his dramatic change from dreadlocks to a shaved head, he was well remembered by the local people.

African jewelry and antique goods actually purchased at markets in Senegal.

The best part of buying in a foreign country is that sometimes you can build a good relationship between people that goes beyond the boundaries of business through dialogue with the local people. Mr. Sakamoto realized that no matter where you go on the other side of the world, there are things that people can understand each other as human beings.

I was very satisfied with the quantity and quality of the purchases," he said. This trip to Africa will be a very long stay, so it was a good start for me. I feel that buying in Africa, where I can find the best antiques and jewelry no matter how many times I visit, is an exciting time for me that is hard to put into words.

Reasons to visit again and again.

Day 6 of his stay in Senegal. Mr. Sakamoto took a break from buying on this day and went to a village in Senegal. This is the home village of a girl who works for her host family. He was told to go there with his host family, so we got in the car early in the morning and drove for several hours. There, he found a wilderness he had never seen before.

Everything is different from Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where I am staying. The village is a place where people make a living by grazing and farming in the midst of nature, and live in handmade straw houses with their large families. It was a village on a world line that was truly far removed from life in Japan.

During my few hours here, I was struck by the resilience of the families living in this village, the smiling faces of the children, the vast nature and delicious air, and everything else. It was a feeling that is too good to put into words, and it was a precious time in my life that made me feel from the bottom of my heart that I was lucky to have come here. When I was leaving, my father said to me, 'Don't forget. I promised him that I would definitely come back again, and we headed home that day.

Next time: Part 2 of Senegal. Mr. Sakamoto has gone even further into the middle of nowhere to research the next season of "Ramlov".... We look forward to seeing what kind of journey awaits us in the next installment!