More on Sénégal

“The Atlantic Ocean divides us, but everything else unites us.” - Mouhamadou

For our first few days in Sénégal, much of our time was spent in the hotel conference room. I will admit that when I saw this on the schedule, I was not thrilled to be traveling to another country to then sit in a conference room. However, our presenters, and the information they shared were so fascinating and helpful, that I was incredibly thankful for this time.

The conference room was lovely, and our tables were set up in a horseshoe shape, so that we could all easily see one another and interact. Birds chirped just outside and a sheep baaaed from somewhere nearby. Ousmane and Mouhamadou were excellent presenters, patient with our questions, and eager to share about the country they love.

We started off by talking about schools, which is obviously why we are here. We learned that many schools now offer some sort of meals for students to ensure that not only can they learn, but they are fed. School in Sénégal is mandatory, but not everyone attends. Many children feel pressured to help raise money for their families and may choose to drop out of school.

There are elementary, middle and high schools here. Before each step to the next school, there is a large exam. If you do not pass the exam, you do not move on. This means students either repeat the grade, which they can only do once, or they drop out of school. University, it seems, is free.

Students take the same sort of classes here that we take at home, however, they do often take multiple languages. In high school, you begin a track, choosing which sort of major you think you will choose in university. Once you have chosen this track, it seems fairly difficult to change. You can either choose the literature side, which includes languages, philosophy, and writing or you may choose the math and science track. For a culture, that values, relationships, interactions, poetry, and art, it only makes sense that there are far fewer in the math and science track. For example, I believe that my host teacher has three classes in the literature track that are all over 60 students each, and the math track has 19 students. In a similar way to home, there seems to be a push to get girls into STEM classes.

As far as how classes are taught, they are fairly classical with a teacher lecturing and students, responding and learning. There are not many opportunities for group work, nor are there many manipulatives, or activities that involve technology. 

It seems the best idea is to teach local concepts first, and then extend beyond what they know, but often students in the school seem to be educated on other places and languages first rather than their own. There are pushes to change both language and history classes to more support local culture, so perhaps soon, more Senegalese language and culture will be taught.

Most of the teachers we have encountered are male. Remember that this country is still very young and stereo-typical-gender roles are still strong. Women, more often than not are staying at home to care for their families. For many years, girls were not allowed to go to school. Now that they are, often times, girls outnumber the boys in the classrooms, since they seem to realize the great opportunity before them.

Teachers are paid well, but it is still on the lower end of the scale, much like in the United States. There is no special training for administrators, rather, it is done by seniority and experience.

Speaking of leadership, politics is something that occupies a lot of conversations, especially as there is a presidential election just ten months away. As a young country, Sénégal has only had four presidents. They can only serve for two terms, but as I understand it, they choose if their terms are five or seven years long. As one might expect in a young country left behind after colonialism, many of the leaders have not followed through on their campaign promises. Many, it seems, have fallen short and been easily led astray to corruption. A new candidate, Ousmane Sonko, who has been fired from government work in the past for calling out the corruption he saw is bringing a sense of hope to many Senegalese people.

Meals, from a young age, teach the values of Senegalese people, in particular the idea of sharing. Meals are often served from one very large dish where people use their right hand to eat. In this way, people learn there’s enough, and there’s no reason to be selfish reach across. They do not waste food, but rather learn to eat what is left behind. There’s always enough, no matter how many neighbors and family members may pop in, and they are always welcomed. I can’t help but think of the lyrics from “Crowded Table” by the Highwomen. “I want a house with a crowded table and a place by the fire for everyone. Let us take on the world while we're young and able and bring us back together when the day is done.”

A crowded table is common in Senegalese culture as families stay together and often live with extended family members. In fact, sometimes people that move away are shunned. The oldest person in the home is the one who is in charge of decision making and will be shown the most respect. The males in the family are responsible for providing, where if women work outside of the home, that money is often theirs to spend as they please.

The mother’s responsibilities are typical of gender roles, such as cooking, cleaning and raising the children. Father’s responsibilities are to be the bread-winner, but also to monitor the harmony of the family. Unfortunately, it seems the drive for money means the father is spending more time away from the home and so the family is falling apart more often here. Of course the absence of such core upbringing is having a huge effect on society. When families break apart, they lose support and guidance which is leading to violence.

This in NO WAY matches up with the eight Senegalese traditional values that we were taught:

-Kòlerë means saying thank you to someone who did things for you in the past. For example, the first pay check earned goes to your parents, showing how grateful you are for the years of care.

-Muñ is patience, resilience and accepting suffering.

-Sag means having nothing but covering it up or not showing people. It is protecting yourself so others don’t see the negativity. 

-Yitte is taking time to talk to people. Here, people don’t jump into the conversation about what they need, but whether it is a stranger or an old friend, they take time to first greet one another and ask about family members.

-Maslaa teaches about how to approach a disagreement or a way you feel you’ve been wronged, making sure not to react with anger.

-Sutura is showing respect and keeping negative secrets close, much like Sag, but this one often extends to keeping secrets for friends.

-Teranga is the overwhelming hospitality that we’ve seen here!

-Kersa means showing respect toward yourself and others.
It is believed that Sénégal comes from a native word that means “our boat”. It seems that the Senegalese people know and understand that we are all in this one boat together, and we must find a way to make it float!