Toubab Dialaw was first inhabited by the Socés, there-after frequented by Portuguese merchants who bought peanuts and coal which they re-sold in Gorée. It is at this point that the word Toubab was added to Dialaw: the peasants having been used to saying that they were going to sell their harvest to the “Toubab’s of Dialaw” (the whites of Dialaw), thus giving the name to this village.

After that came the Lébous, a fishing tribe, attracted by a sea rich in fish, at the time.

Today, the village is principally populated by fishermen families and boasts more than 100 pirogues. A large majority of the catch is sold in the markets of Dakar, if not exported.

The ideal geographical situation of the village also allowed the development of tourism, a sustainable tourism which ensures the implication of the local population in the diverse activities which it generates.

Toubab Dialaw counts on a very active village association which participated in the creation of a primary school, a health station and other infrastructures destined to improve the conditions of life for the villagers.