Cultural team building in Dakar: coffee, gallery and shared lunch

A good cultural team-building day in Dakar rests on an experience the team lives together, without artificial competition: an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a gallery visit, a workshop, then a shared lunch. At ge'eza in Point E, the villa with its garden brings these elements together in one place, and can be hired privately for teams.

What makes team building work

Teams rarely remember forced activities fondly. What works is a setting that breaks the routine, an activity where everyone can take part at their own pace, and time for informal conversation. Cultural formats have the advantage of creating shared subjects: you look at an artwork, taste an unfamiliar dish, learn a ritual, and hierarchies soften naturally.

For an international team, it is also a chance to see Dakar through something other than the office and the hotel, with content that speaks about East and West Africa at once.

The typical format: a half day

Here is a sequence that works well for a morning or a late afternoon. Timings are indicative and are set with the house team.

• Welcome in the garden: homemade coffee or juice, an introduction to the day.
• Gallery visit: the living room and other rooms of the villa show paintings, sculptures and textiles by artists from East and West Africa. You can ask each person to pick the work that struck them and say why.
• Coffee ceremony: about 45 minutes. The coffee is roasted in front of you, ground by hand, brewed in a clay jebena and served in three rounds, Abol, Tona, Baraka. A shared moment of calm that lends itself to conversation.
• Shared lunch: dishes in the middle and injera to share, eaten with the right hand. The beyaynetu gathers seven vegan fasting dishes, and meat dishes complete the table.

A lunch that builds a team

Eating together from one round of injera creates instant conviviality. The gursha, the gesture of feeding someone a bite by hand, is a sign of affection and respect in Ethiopian culture: a good way to break the ice. Every team has mixed diets: the fully vegan beyaynetu and the Senegalese dish of the day (Tuesday to Friday, 5,500 F per person, drink and attaya included) cover most cases. Tell the house in advance about allergies and special diets.

One note: kitfo, the Ethiopian beef tartare, must be ordered 24 hours ahead.

Options to combine

Depending on the aim of the day, you can compose several formats:

• Connection and cohesion: garden welcome, coffee ceremony, shared lunch.
• Creative offsite: a working morning, a gallery visit, lunch, then open conversation.
• Welcoming a new colleague or partner: a coffee ceremony for a small group.
• End-of-year event: private hire of the villa for a lunch or dinner.

The gallery also hosts workshops and events: see the events page for current activities.

Organising the day: questions to ask

Before booking, clarify these points with the venue:

• The number of participants, to adapt the table and the space.
• The time you want: the house is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, closed on Mondays.
• Dietary needs, allergies and any religious requirements.
• The length of each sequence, notably the coffee ceremony (about 45 minutes).
• The budget, to be confirmed directly with the team: we do not publish a private hire price.
• Any technical needs (presentation, sound): ask the venue.

Hiring the villa

For a full team, the villa can be hired in whole or in part, with an Ethiopian meal and coffee ceremony on request. The spaces page presents the rooms, and our guide on private venue hire in Dakar covers the questions to ask any provider.

Asking for a proposal

ge'eza is at 656 avenue Birago Diop, in Point E, Dakar. Message us on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 with the number of people, the date you have in mind and the aim of the day, and the team will reply with a proposal. You can also use the contact page.

What the team takes away

The benefit of a cultural format shows after the day, not during it. Colleagues who have shared a dish, heard the story of a coffee ceremony or discussed an artwork now have a common memory, which acts as a foothold back at the office. More reserved people find their place more easily than in a sports activity, because there is neither winner nor loser. And for a team with colleagues from several countries, the content, between East and West Africa, offers a neutral and curious ground.

To extend the effect, ask everyone to write one sentence about what they tasted, learned or looked at, and share those sentences on return.