The Washington Post - 16.11.2019

saturday, november 16 , 2019. the washington post ez re A

The World

iRAQ

5 protesters killed in

clashes, bomb blast

Iraqi security forces fired live
ammunition and tear gas Friday
in renewed clashes with anti-
government protesters in
Baghdad, killing three people,
while a bomb under a car
exploded near a central square,
killing two protesters and
wounding 10, officials said.
Police said the blast occurred

between Ta yaran and Ta hrir

squares, the latter being the

epicenter of anti-government

protests in the capital.

It was the first such incident

in Baghdad since the protests

began in early October, although

it was not clear whether

demonstrators were the target.

Earlier, protesters repeatedly

regrouped from under clouds of

tear gas as they fought to tear

down a concrete wall blocking

Khilani Square. Security forces

erected the barrier to keep the

protests from crossing a bridge

that leads to the fortified Green

Zone, the seat of government

and many embassies.

Friday’s deaths near Khilani

brought to four the number of

protesters killed in the past 24

hours around the square.

At least 320 people have been

killed since the unrest in Iraq

began on Oct. 1, when protesters

took to the streets to decry

widespread corruption, a lack of

jobs and poor basic services.

— Associated Press

Summit set on conflict in

eastern Ukraine: The leaders of

Russia, Ukraine, Germany and

France will meet in Paris on

Dec. 9 to try to seek a settlement

for the five-year conflict in

eastern Ukraine that has killed

13,000 people. French President

Emmanuel Macron’s office

announced the meeting after

months of diplomatic efforts to

get all sides to agree on new

talks. The summit comes amid

intensified attention to Ukraine

because of the allegations that

President Trump tried to force

Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelensky into politicized

investigations or risk having the

U.S. block military aid that

Ukraine wants to gird itself

against Russia.

Pontiff says anti-gay bias

r ecalls the Nazi era: Pope

Francis denounced anti-gay

discrimination as reminiscent of

Nazi-era persecutions and

evidence of a “culture of hatred”

that has re-emerged. Francis

made the comments in a

w ide-ranging speech to an

international penal law

association. He said some public

officials speak about persecuted

groups the same way Adolf

Hitler referred to Jews in the

1930s. The pontiff also

denounced racially based police

brutality, the arbitrary use of

preventive detention as well as

the failure of legal systems to

punish corporate crimes against

the environment.

— From news services

Digest

BY DANIELLE PAQUETTE

DAKAR, SenegAl — The Senega-
lese phone salesman didn’t expect
“finger l ickin’ g ood” t o be s o literal.
But the grease! He needed three,
four, five napkins. And the Ameri-
can portion size left his jaw ach-
ing.
“Eating KFC exhausts me,” Mo-
mar L issa Ndiaye said.
He’d wondered why people
were lining up a round the block to
try the West A frican country’s first
Kentucky Fried Chicken. Televi-
sion stars, high-heeled models
and the president’s son attended
the grand opening in early Octo-
ber. Fireworks crackled above.
Suddenly everyone was taking
selfies at t he two-story eatery w ith
a giant bucket i n the s ky.
Ndiaye, 42, preferred the com-
petition: Africa Fried Chicken. He
spent his next lunch break at the
older restaurant on the other side
of town — one with a strikingly
similar l ogo and color scheme.
“I’ll drive longer to eat at Africa
Fried Chicken,” he said, ordering
wings at the red-and-white coun-
ter.
As Popeye’s and Chick-
fil-A duke it out for sandwich su-
premacy in the United States, a
new era of fried chicken has
dawned a cross the A tlantic in r ap-
idly developing Dakar, setting the
stage for another kind of fast-food
feud.
In one corner stands the shiny
newcomer to this part of the
c ontinent, an empire with 21,
stores worldwide. In the other: a
S enegal-spun kitchen that was
clearly inspired b y it.
Some accuse AFC of copying
KFC down to the last breading
crumb. Others point out that KFC
arrived second and suggest it
should cater more to local tastes —
maybe even change its n ame here.
Both stores boast secret recipes
and oceanfront views in the Sene-
galese capital, which is home
to 3 million potential customers.
Both are vying for poultry domi-
nance in one of Africa’s fastest-
growing markets. Both spark
plenty of c onversation online.
“They’re about to get the Sene-
galese knock-off’s out of busi-
ness!” one customer wrote on
KFC’s Google reviews.
“Best chicken spot in town,” a n-
other user w rote on A FC’s p age.
The high-calorie commercial
war heats up as more restaura-
teurs seek to enter or expand in a
region with an exploding middle
class and the youngest p opulation
on earth. Analysts say the poten-
tial is boundless and the appe-
tites bottomless.
Success, however, isn’t guaran-
teed in a city where p eople can buy
a hot plate of chicken and rice on
the s treet for l ess than $ 3 — or ask
a fisherman on the beach to catch
them a snapper and grill it on the
spot. C ompanies must stand o ut to
lure customers away f rom cheaper
traditional fare.
When Ndiaye, the phone seller,
visited K FC on a recent Monday, i t
was practically gleaming. A ban-
ner made for Instagram greeted
guests. So did a crowd-control
rope that l ooked l ike it belonged i n
an airport.
He waited 30 minutes to place
his order, full of anticipation. The
food let him down.
“I like smaller sizes,” he said.
“They’re less fatty, a nd t hey still f ill
you u p.”
Other customers fell in Ken-
tucky Fried love.
Mohamed Massamda, a college
engineering student, took one b ite
of his c hicken burger and was glad
he saved his high school gradua-
tion money for t hat moment.
“I don’t have the words,” the
18-year-old said, gazing at t he s lick
wrapper. “It’s just an incredible
feeling. S o crispy.”
Khadija Gueye, 17, came for the
taste she found on vacation in
Morocco.
“The flavors other places a dver-
tise here,” t he high-schooler said,
“I can make that a t home.”
KFC Senegal has sold an aver-

age of 1,000 meals per day for the

last three weeks, said Cheikh

Hamidou Fall, t he franchise’s mar-

keting chief.

It was built to accommodate

800 orders, so wait times have

stretched. A guard stands at the

door, telling customers to remain

patient outside when the dining

room is too c rammed.

That’s a testament to the

brand’s a llure, Fall said.

“There are some rip-offs in

town,” he said. “They tried to

adopt the KFC identity — like the

bucket and the r ed colors — but it’s

not w orking.”

Besides, he said, KFC Senegal’s

chief executive, Anta Babacar

Ngom Diack, descends from

chicken royalty. Her family owns

one o f the r egion’s b iggest c hicken

companies, with a plant that pro-

cesses 4,000 birds per hour.

At the opening ceremony, she

sported a bright red blazer — a

feminine twist on the founder’s

classic w hite o ne.

“When I was a kid,” she said,

“my parents would come back

from Paris with buckets of KFC in

their suitcases.”

Diack, 35, worked her way up a t

her father’s business but began

yearning for her own project

about six years ago.

That’s when she started email-

ing KFC every month: Can we

open a franchise here?

“I was persistent,” s he s aid.

When the middle class explod-

ed and the market was ready and

the dream finally manifested, she

pledged t o hire an all-woman staff.

Now the receipts say: KFC First

Ladies.

People called her sexist, Diack

said, but she wanted to boost an

underappreciated workforce. The

goal for her next store, she said, is

to give j ob o pportunities to people

with disabilities.

Across town, a polished red

staircase welcomes guests to Afri-

ca Fried Chicken, which opened i n

2016 and has its own jumbo buck-

et s ign.

The AFC letters look awfully

like KFC’s, but the s torefront touts

a purely Senegalese option — dibi-

terie le walo, o r grilled sheep.

Diners who slide into AFC’s red

leather booths can feel the ocean

breeze. The windows stay open.

Fans are blowing. There’s a photo

on the wall of Moammar Gaddafi.

The menu features buckets of

chicken with barbecue sauce, mayo

and a blend of local spices. Waiters

serve juice cocktails named after

African musicians, including Yous-

sou Ndour, whom Rolling Stone

once dubbed “the most famous

singer alive” i n Senegal.

His son owns the place.

Birane Ndour, 38, initially

wanted to open a KFC.

When he studied business in

Paris, fast food was his study fuel.

He sensed his friends back home

would love i t, too.

The American chain, however,

rebuffed his outreach.

“I won’t go into the details,” he

said, “but the response was not

favorable.”

So, Ndour vowed to launch a

better version — a Senegalese ver-

sion. He asked a neighborhood

mom “ who cooks for everyone,” h e

said, to draft the menu. (He won’t

share t he recipe.)

Now he w ants to shred his origi-

nal design. Completely renovate

AFC. Sleek beige will replace the

red and white. Maybe customers

can enjoy hookah on the new sec-

ond f loor.

He p lans to change t he logo and

open more stores across the city.

Locations in the suburbs will fea-

ture lower prices, he said, because

income tends t o be l ower there.

Then he can compete with the

chicken giant.

“I believe in my people,” Ndour

said. “I believe in Africa. I believe

in the taste.”

As f or what’s n ext?

“I’d like to take it into the Unit-

ed States.”

[email protected]

Borso tall contributed to this report.

Why did the KFC cross the pond?

To serve a burgeoning middle class in Senegal’s capital, where Africa Fried Chicken is no longer the only game in town

Photos BY Yagazie emezi For the Washington Post

The crew at the KFC in Dakar serves c ustomers last month on the lower level of the two-story eatery. The KFC empire, with 21,

stores worldwide, recently made its debut in Senegal’s capital, which is home to 3 million potential customers.

LEFT: Birane Ndour, the CEO of Africa Fried Chicken, stands outside his Dakar office and in front of a mural of his father, famed

Senegalese singer Youssou Ndour. RIGHT: Anta Babacar Ngom Diack, the chief executive of KFC Senegal, in her Dakar location.

LEFT: Africa Fried Chicken, which opened in 201 6, keeps its windows open to allow the ocean breeze to roll through. RIGHT: The

KFC in Dakar has sold an average of more than 1,0 00 meals per day in recent weeks, often leading to long lines.

LEFT: Staff members prepare a meal in the kitchen of Africa Fried Chicken. The eatery offers a purely Senegalese option —

dibiterie le walo, or grilled sheep — in addition to its eponymous poultry. RIGHT: KFC staff members take orders on the lower level

of the store in Dakar. Diack pledged to hire an all-woman staff, and the receipts say: KFC First Ladies.

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