Mr. Ndiaye, Headmaster at the Kayar 1 Primary School
Kayar 1 is a primary school in the traditional fishing village of Kayar, some 60 km north of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The school has participated in the FAO - EAF Nansen pilot activities testing a teaching kit to support the introduction of the ecosystem approach to fisheries into the curriculum.
The 18 boys between 12 and 13 years old and 30 girls between 12 and 14 years old engaging in the names-giving contest for the Mundus maris mascots came forward with the following story.
"Baby Samba and Baby Coumba were small fish that lived near the ocean floor. One day, they heard a noise on the surface. They went to see what was happening and before they knew what was going on, Baby Coumba was captured.
Baby Samba was alone and crying. He then sent a message to the pupils in Kayar to tell them that Baby Coumba was not mature, and that she should be left to grow and reproduce at least once. The pupils intervened with the fishermen who returned Baby Coumba to the sea. She also had a picture message for the kids:
We must be natural again, because the sea is polluted,
Don't be too curious and imprudent as many predator are lurking."
Traditionally, Coumba and Samba are names given to the spirits of the sea in Senegal.