Senegalese Culture

This research gives an account of selected attributes of Senegalese culture. The research will cover culture, clothing, music, dance, movies, books, and food with a view toward locating major themes evident in patterns of change and consistency in these categories from the 1800s to the modern period.

Senegal's culture must be understood with reference to Islam, which reached the country in the late eighth century, and the establishment by French traders of a port at Saint-Louis, located at the mouth of the Senegal River, which gives onto the Atlantic Ocean, in 1659. That marked the origin of French colonialist activity in Africa, and Senegal remained the centerpiece of French administration until the country became independent in 1960 (Mbodj, 2000).

Islam became the principal locus of Senegalese culture; Islamic conquerors accommodated the mystical features of all of the local religions in ways that French colonialism did not. A venerated figure in Senegal is Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1853-1927), who followed Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, and who offered pacifist opposition to French colonialism. His teachings are referred to as Mouridism, or the Mouride Way (Cruise O'Brien, 1971). There are other so-called Islamic brotherhood besides the Mouride, but it is the dominant one (Gellar, 1982). The regime does not appear to be intolerant. As well, the country is quite stable compared to other African states in the region. One commentator says that teranga, which is a

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from materials found in nature. The fundamental point about traditional Senegalese musical culture is that it is transmitted by and through people known as griots. Writing in 1982, Gellar says that most griots over age 40 are illiterate and attended neither French nor Koranic schools. His description of the griots is much in the manner of medieval troubadours, with griots functioning as itinerant entertainers and cultural chroniclers for everything from kings to weddings to village storytelling. Historically, the griots were considered an inferior caste; however, they also functioned as agents of mass communication for the indigenous peoples, via drums, and of cultural preservation (e.g., in folk tales). Writing in 2003, Hill explains that many griots have become entertainers--actors, musicians, mass-media personalities--and in fact dominate popular music and dance in Senegal. Many griot performers use traditional instrumentation, more or less adapting the instruments to their own more or less traditional/modern musical style. A stringed instrument called the kora (figure 1) was first described to the West in 1799 as a "large harp with 18 strings" (Gilden & Eyre, 2003). A 21-stringed lute-style instrument made of gourd, a woode

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