Days before the July holiday of Tabaski—another name for Eid al-Adha, or the Islamic festival of sacrifice—vendors at one of Dakar’s oldest and largest open-air markets were trying to stop the government from tearing down their stalls. For nearly a century, the distinctive, geometric architecture of Marché Sandaga, or Sandaga Market, stood out from its surroundings on the southern tip of the sprawling coastal capital. But after a fire damaged the historic building and informal stalls continued to sprawl outward, authorities announced a plan to raze hundreds of outdoor stalls…
