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Published: January 19th 2009
Mosque La Divinite
A landmark on Corniche WestDakar, located at the extreme point west of the Atlantic ocean, is one of the largest cities of Senegal. Dakar, like many colonial cities such Cap-Haitian, Jamaica, Guadeloupe or Martinique, made the glorious days of the Trans-Atlantic trade and later the slave trade, which began in the middle of 16th century. Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, is today one of the most cosmopolitan city in West Africa and a place for many to learn about human resistance to oppression and slavery and also to gain a needed perspective on the Islamic faith.
Like many foreigners, I made my pilgrimage to Goree Island. With this visit, I paid my respect to the fallen heroes of the slave trade that the Portuguese initiated around 1530's and later culminated with the French extensive colonial presence in the region. Nevertheless, my visit and contact with the Islamic faith has impacted me the most. My first occurrence with the Islamic clerics and the Senegalese intelligentsia pushed me toward societal appreciative inquiry and invited me into the realm of the Senegalese society. These first steps and the worship at the "Mosque la Divinite" with my great friend Cheick Mbaye opened many doors to Dakar's life
and reality. Subsequently, my encounter with the Senegalese people brought me a unique perspective on people, places, faith and socialization.
For instance, I've learned Senegalese do not socialize around food the same way we do in the western world. Expatriates who live in Dakar often wonder why their colleagues never invited them for a meal. If they were ever invited to Korite (end of the Holy month of Ramadan) or Tabaski (Eid al-Adha - festival of sacrifice), they rarely received a written invitation with the address and direction. The reason is simple. No special invitation is required. We are all invited to the banquet. It's a long standing and permanent invitation to come and share a meal. Food is not made for a certain group of people. Once the meal is ready; all those who are present are invited around the pot, the plate or the table. It would be ungracious to refuse.
The other issue that I struggled a lot during my short time in Dakar relates to the amount of time men took to drink tea or for people to simply greet each other. Even though, I've complained a lot about this issue; I've learned to
listen, moved pass my cliche, and read beyond words. I've discovered that beyond the ritual and investment in time, there is a fundamental theology of life and accompaniment in Africa that I seek to comprehend and attempt to understand.
Friends and people who know that I've been in Senegal and particularly in Dakar in particular often asked me: How it is like in Dakar? In order to answer this question, I will be posting a couple of entries to give them and others who might be tempted to ask me the same question a perspective on this great city that I will miss greatly. If you have a chance to visit, please do. The trip will certainly change you or at least impact your life in some way.
Louis Dorvilier
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Kafia
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Seydou Nourou Tal
Hi, I wanted to say I like your photos of Dakar and I wondered if I could use the one of Seydou Nourou Tal mosque in a publication (a book about Senegalese mosques). Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. With best wishes, Kafia