The culture of Senegal is a wonderful mixture of French cultural traditions and traditional African culture, namely the culture of the Wolof people. Another factor influencing the culture of Senegal is the religious practices of the country's inhabitants.
Senegal art
The arts and crafts in Senegal have centuries of tradition.These include weaving, embroidery, pottery, jewelry making from various metals such as steel, iron, bronze, gold, silver and copper, or even wood and beads, seeds and clay. Other popular forms of art are wood carving, mask carving, glass painting, and sculpting statues from materials such as wood and stone.
Funeral traditions of Senegal
In Senegal, after death, the body must be buried within 6 hours of death, but if it is at the end of the day, it can be rescheduled the next day.
Funeral arrangements are carried out by family members or respected members of the community who are well versed in the required rituals. The body is washed and wiped with perfume, then wrapped in seven meters of cloth. The percale fabric is simply closely woven, with a plain weave of fabrics with a fabric density of at least 200. While the natives of the country receive this treatment, Westerners usually put in a coffin and dress in Western clothing.
Then the body will be taken to the mosque for prayer. If there is no possibility of transportation to the mosque, then the deceased remains in the house there until he is delivered to the burial place. When the time for burial comes, the men take the body and carry it to the grave, while the women stay with the other accompanying persons.
After burial, Kola nuts are handed out to the mourners and food is usually prepared. Visitors pay tribute to the bereaved and give money to the family to help pay for the funeral expenses.
Women should publicly complain about the funeral in Senegal.
After the funeral, the widow must be isolated for four and a half months, during which she cannot do anything to make herself look good and will pray for the deceased. This means that if she is pregnant, her husband will know that the child is from him. If a woman has worked, her work is protected by law during this time. Widowers do not need to isolate themselves in the same way, although they look dreary and gloomy for several months.
Music of Senegal
The main musical genre in Senegal is called "sabar", it is always accompanied by dancing. Moreover, most of the country's musical traditions are based on dance, in the sense that they are created for dancing. Other styles of music are nguel and huango. Popular musical instruments of the country are different types of drums, for example: "neunde", "thiol", "djembe", "kalabas", and "reity". In addition to the above, there is also a popular xylophone-like instrument called "balafon".
Sandaga Madness Masks
The largest market in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, is called Sandaga Madness - aptly named to characterize its atmosphere of chaos. The three-story market is a large tourist mass, so beware of pickpockets and scammers. Inside the market, traditional African masks can be found, when you find them, bargain is normal practice in most markets in Senegal. These masks can be purchased at a discount as they age, and manufacturers will be exposing new masks to the sun to impress the aged. If you see masks at the market entry, keep walking.
Basic moments
Senegal is characterized by a subequatorial type of climate: the air temperature is approximately the same everywhere and in different seasons it ranges from 23 to 28 ° C, so the concepts of "winter" and "summer" are rather arbitrary here. The wettest region is the south of the Atlantic coast, where up to 2000 mm of precipitation falls per year, much drier in the north - 250 mm. The amount of precipitation can vary dramatically from year to year (for example, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe capital Dakar - from 235 to 1485 mm). The precipitation regime determines the change of seasons: from November to April a dry northeastern trade wind blows from the Sahara, and from May to October the humid southwestern monsoon brings abundant rains. The rainy season in the south lasts 5–7 months, while in the north only 2–3 months.
Vegetation in almost the entire territory has been greatly altered by agriculture and animal husbandry. In the wetter south, deciduous forests are preserved, and in the north and central parts of the country - shrub savannas and semi-deserts (mainly within the boundaries of national parks, the largest of which is Niokolo-Koba), where you can find animals typical of Senegal, including elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and hippos.
The population of Senegal is 15,411,614. (2016) - are representatives of the Negroid race. The Wolof and Tukuler peoples, who live in the Senegal River valley in the north, profess predominantly Islam and are engaged in agriculture (these peoples are also numerous in cities); agricultural peoples (the basis of the country's agriculture as a whole is the cultivation of peanuts, for the export of which Senegal ranks first in the world) are also Serer, Diola and Mandigo; Fulbe, on the other hand, are mainly engaged in livestock raising. The life and culture of the indigenous people are of great interest to tourists visiting the country.
Dakar is a large port located on the extreme western point of Africa - on Cape Verde, the country's largest industrial and university center. Near the seaport there is the oldest business district in the city, which is adjoined from the west by shopping streets with many workshops and shops of local artisans. On the coast stretches the fashionable Fann quarter with residences of embassies, villas and comfortable hotels. Dakar is also known for the fact that the route of the famous international rally "Paris-Dakar" ends here.
Nature
Most of Senegal's territory is covered with savanna vegetation (acacia, baobab, bearded vulture, elephant grass, bamboo, ronye palm, tamarind). There is also an Arabian acacia producing gum arabic (resin). The northern regions are the so-called zone. sahel (deserted savannah). In the southwestern part of the country, mixed deciduous-evergreen forests have survived, in which akazha (mahogany), bavolnik, karite (oil tree), lianas, dum palm, carob tree grow. Large animals include antelopes, cheetahs, hyenas, wild boars, leopards and jackals. Hares, monkeys, and many rodents are also widespread. The avifauna is diverse (storks, geese, vultures, bustards, cranes, waders, partridges, eagles, parrots, hornbills, ostriches, weavers, ducks, flamingos, guinea fowls), reptiles (including lizards, cobras and pythons), as well as the insect world (mosquitoes, tsetse flies, locusts, termites). There are six national parks. There are many fish (sharks, dorado, mackerel, sea bass, octopus, sardinella, herring, catfish, tuna) and crustaceans in coastal waters and rivers.
Mineral resources - diamonds, bauxite, iron, gold, limestone, ilmenite, copper, marble, rock salt, oil, natural gas, rutile, titanium, peat, phosphates, zirconium.
Culture
The emergence of fine arts on the territory of modern Senegal began BC: in massive sand mounds (8–6 centuries BC, central regions), archaeologists discovered ceramics, weapons, and jewelry made of gold and metals. The Museum of the Fundamental Institute of Black Africa (Dakar, founded in 1936) has a rich collection of African traditional art.
Professional visual arts have been developing since the 1950s. In 1972, the School of Fine Arts was opened in Dakar, which was taught by masters who received an art education in France, as well as by the French ethnographer and artist P. Lods. Senegal artists - Amadou Yero Ba, Papa Sidi Diop, Ibu Diouf, Ibrahim Ndiay, Papa Ibra Tall. Exhibitions of Senegalese artists were held in Moscow in 1965, 1970 and 1975. The famous Senegalese artist and designer Umu Si has been taking part since 2004 in a continental project to create the first African opera, the Sahel Opera - he works on the decoration and costumes for the opera.
Pottery, wood carving (making furniture and household utensils), leatherworking, weaving (ritual masks, brightly colored belts, bags and mats), as well as weaving, incl. making carpets. The jewelery industry stands out; silver and gold wares of the Wolof people are very popular.
It is based on the rich traditions of oral creativity (myths, songs, proverbs and fairy tales) of local peoples. Folklore is closely related to the art of the griots (a common name for professional storytellers and musicians-singers in West Africa). Modern literature in Senegal develops in French and the local languages \u200b\u200bof the Wolof, Diola, Malinke, Serer, Soninke and Fulbe peoples.
The first literary work is the story "Strength - Kindness" by Bakari Diallo, published in 1926. The formation of national literature is closely connected with the work of Leopold Sedar Senghor, one of the founders of the Negro movement in the 1930s (proclaiming the identity and unity of Negro-African culture, the need to appeal to the origins and study of their own cultural values). Senghor began publishing in 1934 in Paris. The first collection of his poems, Songs in the Dusk, was published in 1945. His participation in the French Resistance movement was reflected in Senghor's lyric-publicistic cycle Black Victims (1948). His other works are a collection of Ethiopian motives, a poem Elegy to the Winds, a cycle of poems Autumn Letters. Senghor's works have been published in many countries. 2006 will mark the 100th anniversary of the poet's birth. Other poets of Senegal are Amadou Mustafa Wad, Lamine Diakhate, Amadou Traore Diop, David Diop, Usman Semben (the first national writer to receive international recognition), Malik Fall.
The founder of Senegalese prose is Usman D. Sosé. His first novel, Karim, was published in 1935. Writers of Senegal - Nafissatu Diallo, Birago Diop, Sheikh Hamidu Kana, Abdoulaye Saji, Usman Semben, Aminat Sow Fall, and others. Some works of Senghor and Semben were translated into Russian and published in the Soviet Union.
In May 2005, the French literary association "New Pleiades" established an international prize named after L. Senghor. The honorary award will be awarded annually to a poet whose works "fully demonstrate the richness and great potential of the French language."
National music has ancient traditions. It was formed on the basis of the music of local peoples and is closely related to the art of the Griots, and also experienced a significant influence of Arab and European musical culture. In the second floor. 20th century influenced by American pop music, new styles emerged and spread widely.
Playing musical instruments, singing and dancing are closely related to the daily life of local people. Musical instruments - a variety of balafons, drums (djembe, tama, paliela - among the Tukuler people, only women play it), gnagnur, bells, xylophones (bark, etc.), one-stringed musical bows, rattles, horns, rattles and flutes. Singing is developed, songs are distinguished by a variety of genres. The ritual singing is especially notable, which is accompanied by music and dancing.
Senegal initiated and organized the 1st World Festival of Negro-African Art (FESMAN) in 1966. The name of the singer Yussu Ndura is known outside the country. In February 2004, several Senegalese folklore groups and musical groups took part in the 1st International Festival of Nomadic Music, which was held in Nouakchott (Mauritania). In November 2004, the Senegalese singer and musician Abdou Geite Seck became one of three finalists in the prestigious international competition Music of the World, which has been held by Radio France International since 1981 with the aim of promoting national music in Africa, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. The songs of Abdou Geite Sek are a mix of Senegalese rhythms and western rock. A Franco-Senegalese group called Vok, in which he worked, was a laureate of the Music of the World prize in 2000. In 2003 this prize was also awarded to a Senegalese musician, Didier Avadi, who runs the Positive Black Sull rap group.
Popular contemporary musicians and singers include Baaba Maal (leader of the Daande Lenol (Voice of the People) group, performing traditional Wolof and Mandingo music, as well as funky and reggae music) and the griot Mansur Sek. Jazz music festivals are held in Saint-Louis. In the summer of 2005, Dakar hosted a two-day show of world music stars called "Africa Live", the proceeds from which were transferred to the malaria fund.
Senegalese composer Gu Ba takes part in the continental project for the creation of the first African opera, the Opera Sahel (he writes music in collaboration with composers from Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and the Comoros). The project, estimated at US $ 6 million, is funded by the Dutch Prince Claus Foundation. Completion of work on the music for the opera is scheduled for June 2006. The choreographic decision of the future performance was entrusted to the famous Senegalese dancer Germaine Aconya.
In December 2006, the next World Festival of Negro-African Art (FESMAN-3) will open in Senegal. The cost of his organization is estimated at 7.5 billion CFA francs (200 million USD), which is 3 times the amount spent on the 1st festival.
Contemporary national theatrical art is formed on the basis of rich traditional creativity. He was significantly influenced by the creativity of the griots, who arranged improvisation performances. Senegal was one of the first countries in West Africa to introduce school theaters. The French theater school of W. Ponti, opened in the 1930s in Dakar, became the center for the creation of an African drama theater. It trained not only students from Senegal, but also other West African countries (Benin, Cote d "Ivoire, Mali), who later became prominent theatrical figures. In the 1950s, the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art was operating in Dakar. staged in French.
In 1961, the National Ballet Ensemble of Senegal was created, led by Maurice Sonar Senghor. The troupe toured the countries of Western Europe, and in 1965 and 1970 performed in Moscow. Amateur theatrical groups were created. The first professional theater was created in Dakar in 1965 and received the name “Theater named after Daniel Sorano ". It was also headed by M.S. Sengor. In the theater, in addition to the plays of local authors and foreign classics, the Inspector General N.V. Gogol was staged, and in the "Negro-Theater" (also located in the capital) - the play Medved A.P. Chekhov. Senegalese playwrights - Amadou Cisse Dia, Abdu Anta Ka, Sheikh Ndao, directors - R. Ermantier and others.
Its origin is associated with the activities of the "African Film Group", created in 1955 by Senegalese students (P. Vieira, J.M. Kahn, R. Keristan and M. Sarr), who studied at the Paris Film Institute. They shot the first Senegalese documentary titled Africans on the Seine (1955). The first feature film - Black from ... - was directed by the director (aka famous poet and prose writer) Semben in 1966. This film is considered one of the first African fiction films, and Semben is often called "the father of African cinema". He also directed the films Emitai (1971), Hala (1975), Seddo (1977) and others. Semben completed an internship at the film studio. Gorky from famous Soviet directors Sergei Gerasimov and Mark Donskoy. In May 2005, within the framework of the Cannes International Festival, he held a master class, which aroused great interest among both specialists and spectators. Other filmmakers - B. De Bey, P. Vieira, U. Mbay, A. Samba Makarama, B. Sengor, J. Diop Mambetti, T. Sou, M. J. Traore. Dakar hosts the African Film Festival.
There are several types of traditional dwellings among local peoples. In the western regions, square-shaped adobe huts are erected under a 4-pitched grass roof. In the east of the country, there are round dwellings of woven branches covered with a grassy cone-shaped roof, as well as rectangular huts with awnings. Residents of the south build mainly round, rectangular or square adobe houses, often the building material is hand-rolled blocks of banko - a mixture of clay and straw. There are also oval-shaped dwellings surrounded by a veranda. Their walls are decorated with paintings in red and blue.
A special layer of architecture is the construction of mosques. In modern cities, houses are built from bricks and reinforced concrete structures. Business districts of cities are built up with multi-storey buildings.
Senegal is one of the most Islamized states on the African continent. Muslims (profess Sunni Islam) are approx. 90% of the population, Christians (the majority profess Catholicism) - 5%, approx. 5% (mainly residents of the southern regions) adhere to traditional African beliefs (animalism, fetishism, the cult of ancestors, forces of nature, etc.) - 2003. There is also a small number of adherents of Bahaism.
The penetration of Islam began in the first half. 11th century during the existence of the state formation Tekrur on the territory of Senegal. It became the first country in West Africa to be Islamized. The Sufi orders (tarikats) of Tijaniyya, Muridiyya and Qadiriyya are especially influential among Senegalese Muslims. The spread of Christianity began in the 17th century. Senegal is characterized by religious tolerance.
History
Around the 11th century, Islam, brought by the Arab and Berber conquerors, became the dominant religion in the region. In the XIV century there were several kingdoms, the most powerful of which was the Jolof Empire. For a long time, the Senegalese island of Horus was the largest center of the slave trade.
Europeans began to appear on the coast of Senegal in the 15th century - the Portuguese were the first in 1435. In 1633, the French founded the Senegalese Company and in 1638 at the mouth of the Senegal River - a trading post (from 1659 - the city of Saint-Louis).
In the 17th - 1st half of the 18th centuries, the export of slaves became increasingly important in the African-European trade, which was held in their hands by the rulers of African states. Using firearms, African rulers, at the head of their squads, raided their neighbors in order to capture prisoners for their subsequent sale to Europeans.
In the second half of the 19th century, the French began to develop the interior of Senegal. In 1860, the leader of the largest tribe in Senegal, Haji Omar, recognized the protectorate of France. By 1890, all the tribes of Senegal had submitted to the French.
The French exported peanuts from Senegal, gold was mined in small quantities. In 1885, the Saint-Louis-Dakar railway was built, then the railway line from Dakar to the neighboring French colony of Mali (in 1909-23).
Residents of four districts in western Senegal were granted the rights of French citizens, and one deputy to the French parliament began to be elected from them (the first Negro deputy was elected in 1914). Educational institutions were created that trained Negro personnel for the colonial administration of all of French West Africa. From the African population, units of the French army began to form - battalions of Senegalese riflemen.
In 1895-1958, Senegal was part of French West Africa (FZA), which united the territories in the western part of the continent. In 1902, Dakar became the capital of the FZA.
After the end of World War II, the national liberation movement intensified in the country. On November 25, 1958, Senegal was proclaimed a self-governing republic within the French Community. In 1959, Senegal and French Sudan (Mali) merged to form the Federation of Mali, which gained independence: on April 4, 1960, an agreement was signed granting it independence, which was officially proclaimed on June 20, 1960. Due to political conflicts, the Federation disintegrated, after which, on August 20, 1960, Senegal and French Sudan (renamed Mali) declared their independence.
After gaining independence, Senegal began to rule the Progressive Union of Senegal (since 1976 renamed the Socialist Party of Senegal). The construction of "African socialism" in Senegal was announced.
In 1976, an amendment to the constitution was adopted, allowing the activities in Senegal of three political parties - the Socialist, Democratic, and African Independence (Marxist-Leninist) parties. Another Marxist-Leninist party, Independence and Labor, existed illegally.
In 1982, together with the Gambia, the nominal confederation of Senegambia was formed, but real integration did not work, and in 1989 it disintegrated.
The separatist groups of Casamance in the south of the country, which made their name in 1982, despite negotiations with the government, continue to operate irregularly. Senegal also has a long history of participation in peacekeeping missions.
Politics
Presidential republic. The constitution is in force, approved by a national referendum on January 7, 2001. The head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the president, who is elected by direct general elections (by secret ballot) for a 5-year term. The President can be elected to this post no more than two times. Legislative power is exercised by the Parliament (National Assembly), which consists of 120 deputies (65 of them are elected by territorial constituencies, 55 by party lists). Members of Parliament are elected in direct general elections by secret ballot. His term of office is 5 years; it can be dissolved by the president no earlier than 2 years after the parliamentary elections.
State flag. Rectangular cloth, consisting of three vertical stripes of equal size, green (at the pole), yellow and red. In the center of the yellow stripe there is an image of a five-pointed green star.
Foreign policy is based on the policy of non-alignment. The main foreign policy partner is France. Senegal maintains good-neighborly relations with the Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, incl. within the framework of the Organization for the Efficient Use of Resources of the Gambia. Relations between Senegal and the Gambia are complicated by the smuggling of industrial goods through the Gambian territory (there are lower customs duties on many imports), as well as by the influx of large numbers of Senegalese refugees who have moved to Gambia in the past. 1990s as a result of the Casamance conflict. Until 2005, the program of cooperation with Taiwan, recognized by Senegal in 1996, was successfully implemented. In 1996–2005, Taiwan allocated about 1 million to maintain ties and direct financial assistance to Senegal. USD 150 million. In the beginning. November 2005 Senegal terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan and resumed them with China (they were severed in 1996 after Senegal recognized Taiwan).
Economy
Senegal belongs to the group of least developed countries. The basis of the economy is the agricultural sector. It is one of the steadily developing states in West Africa. Senegal is dependent on foreign aid.
More than 75% of workers are employed in agriculture. Products - peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton. Livestock and poultry are raised, fishing is conducted.
In the industrial sector - the extraction of phosphates, as well as iron ore, zirconium and gold.
Export goods are fish, peanuts, phosphates, cotton.
Cultural traditions of Senegal. Fashion
The capital of Senegal, Dakar, was once considered the most European city in Black Africa. But since more than forty years ago, the French left the country, the further, the more clearly African features appear in the appearance of Dakar - including not the most pleasant ones - dirt, poverty, overpopulation ... For all that, even in very poor areas it rushes to eyes - people pay great attention to their appearance. A Senegalese may wear worn-out pants and a shirt, but they will definitely be freshly washed. And these are men, and even Senegalese women - they are not only, as is commonly believed, the first beauties of Africa, but also the first fashionistas. Senegalese women have a desire for beauty in their blood. They all try to dress more fashionably and more beautifully. And this does not depend on age or on whether they are wealthy or poor.
As you know, demand creates supply. Dozens (if not hundreds) of fashion designers work in Dakar - and this is, after all, a multimillion-dollar capital city. It turned out by chance that one of them was called Dasha, so we simply could not help but get to know her. How it happened that the parents gave the African girl such a name, Dasha herself does not really know. Dasha: "In fact, a turban cannot be called an accessory of a Senegalese costume ... The fact is that Muslim women are supposed to cover their heads - without this they cannot even go outside. And the turban goes well with the dress. This is how the pan-African fashion of wearing a turban arose. The turban is remarkable because that it can be given any shape. "
Dasha is from Benin, has been living in Senegal for twenty-one years, and she has a French passport. She learned the art of fashion designer while working in the United States and France. Hence the cosmopolitanism of her author's style. “I cannot be called a typical representative of the Senegalese fashion industry. In recent collections I use a lot of pan-African symbolism, I try to fit it into a wider context, to make it understandable for people living outside Africa. I think fashion should be addressed to everyone - in the sense that that I make clothes in Senegal, and anyone can wear them - the same Russians, for example. "
The French are happy to buy the products of the Senegalese fashion designer, and at one time Dasha carried out orders from Parisian stores. But her small sewing workshop was unable to keep up with the rates and volumes of supplies set by Western partners. Dasha employs nine people - only men. She tried to hire dressmakers, but quickly gave up on this venture - Senegalese women are too fond of gossip, so they barely have time to sew a dozen stitches in a day. Male tailors take the matter much more seriously ...
Author's collections, which the designer releases every two or three years, obviously cannot bring a stable income. Earnings Dasha is given orders for uniforms for waiters, security guards, hotel personnel. But nevertheless, Dasha is primarily an artist and most of her creative energy is invested in the creation of collectible clothes - the kind that can be worn in any country in the world, as they say, in a feast, and in the world, and in kind people. At the same time, all her things - some more distinctly, others under the mute - say: "We are from Africa." Dasha: "At first glance, you won't say that this symbol is African. Something similar can be found in Polynesia. The same is with this symbol ... Everyone is free to interpret them as he pleases, to put their content into them ..." In addition to clothes Dasha designs various home accessories in the same recognizable style. Dasha: "For example, a cup holder ... Its bottom is made in the form of one of my favorite symbols - kanagi. Kanaga is actually a Guinean deity. I took its traditional image and stylized it."
Like any fashion designer, Dasha strives to create not just clothes, but complete ensembles. Stephanie Sillo, jeweler: “Dasha and I are now developing a line of jewelry - they will be on models during the shows of her new collection ... I use glass beads, which are easy to find in any African market, especially in West Africa. They are very different: green, red, yellow ... The colors are always so intense ... "Jewelry and accessories that complement Dasha's outfits, both in style and in the place of manufacture, are of undoubted African origin.
But bright, well-recognizable fabrics, as a rule, are not African at all. Most of them are imported to the continent from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, countries with a traditionally developed textile industry. In the middle of the last century, Asian manufacturers realized that the market of the Black Continent was practically inexhaustible, and began to produce fabrics that meet the tastes of Africans. They took as a model several dozen ornaments common in Africa - as a result, the clothes of Senegalese and Kenyans, Cameroonians and Madagascars now differ only in style, but not in pattern. Also a kind of globalization ...
Dasha: "There are many fashion designers and fashion designers working in Senegal. But most of them do not confine themselves to the Senegalese culture. Like myself, they just start from Senegalese culture, trying, so to speak, to open African fashion to the whole world." However, in Senegal, as in other African countries, many women remain faithful to their familiar, traditional clothes. It is usually worn in villages. By the African dress in the capital Dakar, you can immediately recognize yesterday's provincial - or a lady belonging to the wealthiest strata of society. The demands of rich clients are satisfied by fashion designers who, unlike Dasha, are entirely focused on the African audience.
Dasha: "Madame Dumas Dian, who owns the Shalimar fashion house, works in a traditional style. For many years now, she has been dressing the first ladies of many African states." If Dasha in her models focuses on grace and democracy, then sheer luxury prevails here. There is certainly no place for simple fabrics - flax, cotton, synthetics, with which Dasha works - in dresses from Ms. Dyan. All of them are sewn from the most expensive silk. A simple outfit costs at least five hundred dollars, and this is not surprising - a dozen craftsmen have been working on it for almost a week. In such a dress you will not dance and walk barefoot on the catwalk - in it you will not even go to a restaurant in the evening. It is suitable only for a high society reception or a government reception. Madame Dumas Diane, like Dasha, does not expand her business, being content with a single boutique - but not because of a lack of funds, but for other reasons. Dumas Dian, fashion designer: "Of course, opening more boutiques, we would earn more. We had ateliers and shops in Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire, but I soon realized that I could not adequately control their work, and this affects on the quality of things. For me, the most important thing is just the quality, the reputation of our brand, and profit comes second. " The Shalimar House manages to maintain its reputation, and with it, of course, its income - and not only in Africa. He has regular clients both in Europe and in the USA.
Magazine "Around the World"
Territory of Senegal has long been inhabited by the peoples of the Negroid race.
The modern peoples of Senegal differ markedly among themselves, both in social features and in the methods of economic management. U and Tukuler, whose ethnic territories lay closer to the trade routes of the river basin. Niger, already in the early Middle Ages, a class with a caste hierarchy was formed. This was facilitated by their gradual Islamization. The Tuku Lers, who live in the Senegal Valley, who cultivate the floodplains from year to year, have developed a land rarely observed in Tropean Africa. Tukuler's rainfed agriculture, like Wolof and, was based on a fire transfer system and communal land tenure. These agricultural peoples are now almost not engaged in cattle breeding.
The development of commodity-money relations and the decomposition of the village community captured the Wolof and Tukuler more than other peoples of Senegal. Wolof and Tukuler are numerous in cities, where they play a leading role in the country's political and cultural life.
Farmers of Serer and Diola, similar in language to Wolof, lagged behind their neighbors in terms of social organization. By the beginning of colonization, they represented a co-group of tribal associations that lived in isolation in the forests of the lower Casamance. Serer were in a transitional stage from the tribal to the neighboring community. Both those and others did not accept Islam and retained their traditional beliefs. During the colonial period, the commercial peanut crop in serera and diol spread much more slowly than in Wolof. At the same time, the methods of farming for sereres and diols are better adapted to the peculiarities of their habitat. The transposed wolf is entirely based on the use of natural soil fertility and natural restoration. The system of cultivating land near the serers, which combines the rudiments of crop rotation and the introduction of organic fertilizers into the soil by grazing livestock (in contrast to the Wolof sereres are kept), is well-known in the intensification of agriculture. As for diol, since ancient times they have been engaged in rice cultivation along river valleys, having achieved considerable perfection in artificial irrigation.
Mandingo farmers who penetrated the territory of modern Senegal in the XIII-XIV centuries. during the period of prosperity of the ancient state of Mali, in terms of economic methods and social organization, they are close to Wolof, but belong to a different linguistic subgroup of the Niger-Kordofan family.
Fulbe herders, who appeared within Senegal in the 10th-11th centuries, later split into several ethnic groups. Having conquered in the XVI century. river valley Sene, part of it moved to settled life, forming a stratum of the nobility, who collected from the indigenous population; the other part penetrated into the coastal strip on the territory inhabited by the Wolof, and assimilated with the latter, retaining their main occupation. Fulbe Casamance, mixing with the Mandingo, moved on to sedentary agriculture. The Fulbe, who live in the Ferlo Desert and are still engaged in semi-nomadic cattle breeding, have changed less than others.
During the colonial period, a significant stratum of Europeans, who lived mainly in Dakar, and Lebanese, who were engaged in trade in the cities and villages of western Senegal, appeared in Senegal.
A national cinematography is emerging in the country. Films by Semben Usman, Ababakar Samba, Polen Vieira are dedicated to the current problems of the country's development, and are often sharply satirical in nature. They received. Large feudal lords in the person of the marabouts, the spiritual leaders of Muslim sects, have significant political influence in the country.
Hired labor in the country employs 130-150 thousand people, of which 55-60% are industrial workers. some of the cadre industrial workers are concentrated in factories in the Dakar and Thiesa regions.
In the cities, a stratum of the geoisie was formed. The largest part of it is made up of small traders and entrepreneurs. Over the past 15 years, the number of "bureaucratic" has increased, consisting of various administrators and officials.
The leading bourgeois circles of the country are striving to consolidate their political influence. Their official doctrine was the theory of "African socialism" and "negritude", most fully developed by LS Sengor. These theories absolutize the originality of African culture, lifestyle and psychological makeup of Africans,
propagandize a "special Senegalese" path to socialism. In their practical activities, the ruling circles maintain close ties with the imperialist bourgeoisie, attract foreign capital to the country and encourage national entrepreneurship.
Republic of Senegal. State in West Africa. The capital is Dakar (1.7 million people - 2002). Territory - 196.7 thousand sq. km. Administrative divisions - 11 areas. Population- 11.13 million people (2005, estimate). Official language- French. Religion- Islam, Christianity and traditional African beliefs. Currency unit - African franc (CFA franc). National holiday - Independence Day (1960), April 4. Senegal has been a member of the United Nations since 1960, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) since 1963, and since 2002 its successor - the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) since 1975, the Economic and Monetary Union of West African States ( YEMOA) since 1994, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) since 1971, the General Afro-Mauritian Organization (OCAM) since 1965 and the International Organization of Francophonie (OIC).
Recent history of Africa... M., "Science", 1968
Kashin Yu.S. Senegal... M., "Thought", 1973
Clark, A.F., and Phillips, L.C. Historical Dictionary of Senegal. 2 nd Edn. Metuchen, NJ, Scarecrow Press, 1994
Barry Boubacar. International aspects of the armed conflict in southern Senegal... Moscow, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 1999
Sadovskaya L.M. Senegal and Tunisia leaders... Moscow, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2000
The World of Learning 2003, 53 rd Edition... L.-N.Y .: Europa Publications, 2002
Bellitto, M. Une histoire du Sénégal et de ses entreprises publiques. Paris, L "Harmattan, 2002
Africa South of the Sahara... 2004. L.-N.Y .: Europa Publications, 2003
Where are you going, Africa? Historical and political studies
African countries and Russia. Directory... Moscow, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004
Find "SENEGAL" on