Senegal Last Thoughts

LANGUAGE AND EFFORT:
I was lazy with learning the language after the first week or two because I knew I was in Senegal for a limited time and thus i made little commitment. I really respect people who go to a place, stay for awhile and make a COMMITMENT…to learn the language, really BE there…I skated by on natural talent as usual…I'm a good mimic of languages and accents…but I am a bad listener and have a poor memory for words and phrases (my memory bank being used up by mostly useless statistical trivia). I did have an idea for a language book tho. First, in English, write down the 1000 most important words and phrases we use to communicate on a daily basis, in the order of their frequency. So first would be greetings…then verbs, the 5 W’s etc…then use that English book to fill in the language you are learning. Most language books are so convoluted and useless. They tell you how to say things like “Why, your car is such a lovely green color!” or “That sure is a nice mortar and pestle!” or “Is the freezer cold enough to keep ice cream?”

My African friends found it humourous that I relied heavily on my little journal to remember language. They learn language almost strictly be listening and speaking. I think people who grow up speaking at least two languages have a much easier time of this. The difference between learning one language and learning two or more is like a quantum leap in brain development for additional language aquisition. On the other hand, African people almost never learn the colonial language of French, or English, or whatever, as well as native speakers. Thus they are forever at a language disadvantage when they attempt to gain a foothold in first world societies. I'd say it's a conspiracy but i "know better than that". I did meet one of Kens uncles of about 50 years of age who had hardly left Dakar his entire life, and he spoke French like a master. He was a French teacher and took it as a point of pride that he was more literate in French than the average french person, even claiming he taught French people their own language. But that is rare.

I find Wolof to be a dynamic and energetic language, and without a doubt easier to pronounce and enjoy than French. I am hopeless in French. I can say complex African names with far more ease than i can pronounce the french name Viex. My strength and effort went towards remembering names. But I tried one hundred times to say that name and i still have no idea. My mouth just doesn't want to move to the french rhythm. Wolof, i like. It fits better, what can i say?

ISLAM AND THE KORAN:
Every morning around 530 i was gently awoken by the not so distant call to prayer by the local mosque...honestly its a soothing and mystical sound...i can truly understand why people love their Muslim religion, or any religion...the practices can be addictively enjoyable! Occasionally the neighbors would have a Koranic prayer party on the roof in the early evening. They set up a loud speaker and absolutely blared Islamic singing and chanting well into the night. In Senegal it's a perfectly acceptable practice to engage in once in awhile. Tolerance is a beautiful thing. I practice it when i can and it serves me very well! Instead of allowing myself to be annoyed i just recognize the humour in a situation and laugh. Very healing, we should do it more often.

Arabic colonists entered Africa early in the history of Islam (7th century onward) from their homeland in the Arabian peninsula (present day Saudi Arabia) and enforced their religion on the populous of North Africa from Egypt to Morocco, and later as they crossed the Saraha desert they went down south as far as Nigeria, Darfur in Sudan, etc. People think of North African countries as being "Arabic" (Egypt, Algeria etc.) and consequently they think of North Africa as being part of the "Middle East". Geographically, North Africa cannot be the Middle East, as it is directly south (and west) of much of Europe. (And of course the term "Middle East" comes from the perspective of people living in far West Asia (otherwise known as Europe), hence "Far East" (China etc.) "Near East" (Turkey etc.) and "Middle East" (Israel, Iraq, even as far as Iran who of course on Persian, not Arab, etc.))

Culturally North Africa is lumped into an area called the Middle East because the politics and religion is dominated by Muslims of Arabic descent. Arab Muslims colonized lands and imposed their political will in areas where hundreds of both indigenous and immigrant ethnic groups were living. For example, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman empire in the year 70 A.D., the nation of Israel was disbanded and the great Jewish diaspora began. Jews fled in all directions. Many migrated across North Africa and ended up in Spain, where they suffered the indignity of the Catholic Inquisition of 1492, and had to flee once again, which is incidental to the story at hand. Many Jewish communities were living in North Africa for centuries before the Islamic takeover. And it was a takeover. People of all colors and backgrounds from white Berbers to black "animists" to brown christians to olive jews were given a choice: accept Islam or die. People accepted Islam as a means of survival. Just like with Catholicism throughout the world, people incorporated indigenous traditons into the new religion (such as the wearing of juju items), or they went underground with their religion (a favorite tactic of jewish people). (Similarly, many Africans avoided the slave trade by excessively tattooing and piercing their bodies so that they would be rejected by the traders as being too unattractive and unpresentable in the slave markets).

The expression of Islam in Senegal has many similarities and many polar opposites to Islam expressed in Arab controlled countries, and even parts of Africa like Nigeria. As with religion everywhere, people fall in between a range of extraordinarily devout to Muslim in name only. For example, from what i could see, the draconian law of "Sharia" is not enforced in Senegal. Sharia is similar to the Levitical laws of the Hebrews in the old testament, which is probably why the Koran is full of it. The laws of the Hebrews as described in the book of Leviticus in the bible are full of nightmarish consequences for those who break the law. Adultery? Instant execution. Stealing? Lose a hand. In countries that enforce Sharia today, people are arrested, beaten and tortured for even relatively minor offenses such as having a conversation with an unmarried woman. Or not wearing a burka such as was enforced by the Taliban in Afghanistan. In Senegal i never heard of anything remotely resembling the law of Sharia being enforced. Very few women cover their heads. The girls in the Doumbia house wore head coverings for a few hours on Fridays. Many children supplement their secular academic studies with Koranic study. After school, on the weekends etc. But i never saw any serious Koranic study in any house. Many people i talked to hardly knew what the Koran actually says. People i talked to said that they hoped to go to heaven, but they weren't sure about it. They could only hope that on judgement day when god weighed their good deeds in his right hand and their bad deeds in his left hand, the right hand would sag lower...as for me, i read the first 100 of about 500 pages of the Koran, from a Penguin editions translation, and i wish i read the rest. It's a remarkable read. It constantly references the bible, going so far as to claim itself the final confirmation of the bible, as opposed to a contradiction of the bible. I also read a fairly in depth history of the life of Mohammed and it's a mind blowing historical story...everyone was there. The Jews, the Christians, the pagans...it's an intimate story of all of us...

The people i met and lived with and made friends with were exceptionally tolerant and amiable about other religions and ways of life. Most Muslims i met believed that the most important thing is faith in god regardless of religion. They told me that their religion instructs them to respect ALL religions, and that the Christians and Muslims in Senegal had a strict peace pact of tolerance and acceptance, despite the fact that Muslims are about 90 percent of the population. I once commented to Boubacar that this reminded me of a confederacy of dunces, or worse, a pact between liars and thieves...(as in, "if you don't blow my cover i wont blow yours!") You may think this is harsh. God doesn't. Just read Isaiah 1 as god is talking to the Israelite Hebrew Jews...and don't forget, Isaiah is probably the most revered prophet in the bible, and this is part of the opening chapter. Isaiah means to tell us something important...

"What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, And the fat of fed cattle. And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon [festivals] and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing [them]. So when you spread out your hands [in prayer], I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood."

Did you hear that? God HATES our religious behavior! And don't forget also, the people god was talking to through Isaiah were the most religious people on earth! They were attempting, and actually succeeding, in following the rules (as set down by god no less) perfectly! Perfectly! They were doing EXACTLY what god wanted them to do, or so they thought! Let us meditate on that for a bit...

Let me end by saying that is was a wonderful and instructive time to be with my Muslim FRIENDS and family, and that i love and accept all religious and atheist and agnostic and pagan and dirt worshiping polytheistic polygamous brothers and sisters just as they are, and i can only pray that all people extend to me the same courtesy.

FOOD:
Breakfast in Senegal for most people consists of french bread with an assortment of toppings. Just margarine with white sugar if you're poor. Maybe with mayonnaise, hard boiled egg, potatoes, an onion/meat mix, or beans...little shops and carts dot the neighborhoods and make your breakfast sandwich to order...eat with herbal teas, or cafe touba...tiny bakeries sell pastries and sweet breads also...Lunch comes late, around 2. In Senegal fish is plentiful and inexpensive.

Every morning around 9, Monjai the fish guy would amble down the lane on his horse drawn cart calling out in a high pitched nasal whine the names of the fish he was hauling..."Yai Boy Yai Boy..." Fatoumbai would come out and playfully negotiate with him for the days meals. Back and forth they would go, quickly and humorously. 5 for 500. No, 6 for 400. No, 5 for 450. No, 6 for 450. Ok. Then Fatoumbai would try and steal one when he looked the other way. And then he would try and leave without giving change...hilarious...people having fun instead of viewing everyday chores as a drudgery...

Lunch was often fish with rice, with a few vegetables: eggplant, carrot, cabbage, bitter tomato, cassava root (called yucca in Spanish), potatoes, a small thick green sauce made of green leaves, and one habanero pepper. Habanero is so hot you just touch it with your spoon and mix it into the section of food you're eating. Dinner usually the same. Sometimes instead of rice it's noodles, or couscous, or millet. Sometimes fruit slices are served after the meal. My auntie Sara, who is a real "foodie", asked me in an email "what is local"...which was an astute question. Most of the food in Senegal is common to California. Honestly there isn't much variety in the markets. Pretty much the same thing everyday. Mangoes are popular, eaten green and ripe. A few melons, and a few unique tropical fruits such as one small round one with sour flesh and tamarind sized seeds, popular with kids (who love sour tastes), eaten with salt, sugar and a bit of hot pepper, scooped out with a spoon, eaten slowly and with relish.

MONEY:
99 per cent of the people don't have enough. Like everyone, including people with "enough", people dream of having a million money's. A million whatever. If i just had a million my life would be grand! We forget that if we had it we would be racked with guilt. That friends and family would be nagging us to get some. That poor people would rightfully call us hypocritical greedy selfish jerks for not sharing, and when we did help it would never be enough, and soon you'd just want to give it all away and say to hell with it!

Its a constant struggle for the people in Senegal. I started out giving a bit out here and there and it snowballed. I give you something, now i have to give someone else something. Then here come the stories: i need to go to the hospital. I need to go to a funeral. My baby needs something...its so hard to say no, especially when you know you have it and can actually "afford" to give it away! Afford as in go back to America and work like heck to pay off the credit card, which at least is a far better opportunity than the people here have! In the America people who own nothing can get a 5000 dollar credit card. That kind of money in Senegal would start a lot of profitable businesses. Conversely, in Senegal, people who owe zero money on their properties valued at tens of thousands of US dollars can NOT get a bank loan! The banks are paranoid that they won't get paid back, despite their ability to simply seize the property if necessary! It is perplexing and infuriating. These governments talk about economic growth but the simplest tenet of economic growth, lending money against property, is denied. It's ridiculous, frankly. I would swear it's a conspiracy but i "know better than that". My friend Boubacar was in this exact very position. Property rich, cash poor. But if he sells his house where will he, his two sisters and his nephew and nieces live? He has no job because those are scarce and super low paying, and he can't borrow money to buy his art supplies...catch 22.

God is the only solution.