Amadou/Mosque/Boubou

Thursday was the day after the Tamxarit holiday and it was very relaxing. Breakfast that morning was tea, french bread and brie cheese. I enjoy mornings when I get to eat breakfast at home because I get to spend time time with my family. During the week I always eat breakfast at my job when I get to the breakfast sandwiches. I've also become a really big tea drinker since being here, and not just with ataya. I have tea whenever I have breakfast at home because the rest of my family drinks coffee, which I do not drink.  After breakfast we just lounged around the house and around 1:30pm Amadou said that he would be heading to the Mosque for prayer. I asked to go with him because I understand how important Islam is to the Senegalese and how it plays such a huge part in the culture here. I also had not yet been to the mosque with one of my family members. 

Before I spoke with my host dad about the possibility of me going with him one time to the mosque but I knew that going this time with Amadou was probably a better bet since spend the most time with him. During our conversation I also asked my host dad about a picture that I took of a man on the front of Sandou's motorcycle. Sandou was the Jakarta I met who gave me a ride home one day from my internship and was wearing the Sacramento Kings jersey. After I asked to take a picture with him, he insisted that I also take a picture of the man that he had on his scooter. At the time I didn't know who it was exactly, but I knew he was some type of religious leader. I had seen pictures like that everywhere I had been in Senegal such as in taxis, restaurants, stores, barbershops and basically anywhere you could put up a picture for a lot of people to see. He pointed at the man and tried to explain to me who he was, but I couldn't understand exactly what he was saying, although it was evident that the man was of much importance to him. 

My host dad explained to me that the picture was of Marabout Baye Niasse, the marabout of Kaolack who died in 1975. There is a different marabout for each city which is why the pictures that I saw so often in Dakar and throughout the other cities in Senegal that I've been to, have been of different marabouts. The marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher. As a scholar of the Qu'ran he is the one who was first responsible for translating it for the people. I asked Amadou's friend Khadim why the marabout had to translate the Qu'ran if Khadim, Amadou and the other Senegalese could read Arabic. He explained with a description of the Marabout, "il est don est plus venere". Essentially he is viewed as a gift from god who is very revered by the people, so his translation of the Qu'ran is most respected. This is why the Jakarta had so much respect for him and wanted me to know who he was. 

Sandou (the Jakarta) and I 

Marabout Baye Niasse (Kaolack)

When we left the house for the mosque I initially thought that we were going to the mosque near the APROFES hotel. I knew of it because I would walk by the mosque before when I stayed at the hotel and I saw many men praying outside of it all the time. We actually went to a different larger mosque, Diakae Mouride, which Amadou usually goes to for prayer. When we got near the mosque Amadou set up his prayer rug outside of a house next to about five other men who were getting ready for prayer as well. Closer to the mosque under the shade of a tree there was a group of Senegalese men setting up their rugs for prayer as well. As it approached 2pm I observed as more and more men arrived for prayer, some entering the mosque and many others setting up their rugs in the surrounding area. I saw two boys, who were probably no older than 4 or 5, walking together to the mosque with their mat which they placed on the ground and shared. 

We didn't go inside or walk up any closer to the mosque because I was not allowed to go in the mosque since I was not Muslim. Later when we returned to the house I told Djelia that I had gone to the mosque with Amadou and she gasped stating that it was forbidden for me to do so. However I explained that I did not go inside and I just went to view the praying and she understood. She explained that to enter the mosque one must first undergo some form of ritual purification. I later looked up the validity of this and it seems like one's ability to enter a mosque if they are not Muslim really depends on the culture and the mosque.

Diakae Mouride (Kaolack Mosque) 

Throughout my time at the mosque observing the prayer I could not help but notice the true sense of brotherhood among all of the Senegalese men. Everyone greeted and acknowledged each other as I could really feel the sense of community. I was unsure whether this sentiment was due more to religious connection between this group of men or just because of the sense of community that is staple of the Senegalese culture. Although, these two things, Senegalese culture and the Islamic religion, are so closely intertwined that it is likely unnecessary to make this distinction between the two. After the prayer ended everyone shook hands with each other and left. However, no one acknowledged me or came to shake my hand, which I understood because I was not Muslim. Also it was probably quite obvious that I was not from Senegal because I had a camera with me.

I also thought about how this sentiment of brotherhood alongside a true sense of community pervades Senegalese culture in every way. I've noticed that the younger Senegalese men, like Amadou, Xadim, Yousou and Galo, are very open and friendly with one another. Sometimes on the streets I see two men holding hands and while in the states many would think that this means the two men are gay, here in Senegal that is not the case. Senegal outlaws same-sex sexual acts and, in the past, has prosecuted men accused of homosexuality. Additionally 97% of Senegal residents believe that homosexuality is a way of life that society should not accept. I say this because in the United States where most recognize homosexuality, you don't usually see two heterosexual men who are friends holding hands on the street, at least I don't. In the states usually the action of holding another's hand in public is associated with their being a relationship between the two people. However here in Senegal that perception is not a possibility because they don't acknowledge the existence of homosexuality as a sexual orientation like heterosexuality. 

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Saturday morning Amadou agreed to go with me to the Grand Market to get my boubou (the traditional Senegalese garb for men) because I had been waiting to get one. I bought one for Tabaski in Dakar however that one was relatively cheap and it was not actually custom made. I had purchased the shirt and the pants already made and I just took that one to the tailor so that he could make the necessary adjustments to it. With this new boubou I would be buying the cloth for the tailor who would then make the entire boubou based on my measurements. I've been pretty excited about getting one because I needed one for work and I wanted to bring it back with me to the states. I told Amadou that I also wanted to go to the Village Artisinal to look for some gifts for my friends back home and he said he would accompany me there as well. 

My sister Djelia and Louise were also going to the market that day to pick up a dress for Louise. Amadou and I went separately as Djelia and Louis took a taxi into town while Amadou likes to walk everywhere that we go. He asked if I walked around Kaolack often and I told him I usually take the Jakarta to work, but I walk home at the end of the day when I'm not pressed for time and because the weather is cooler at the end of the day. He thought that this was good because although the Jakarta is fun, he thinks walking lets you really see and experience Kaolack and I agreed with him. I really enjoy walking back home after work and I try to take a different route each time, or at least pass through streets I haven't seen before. 

We first went to the one of the larger banks, BCEAO, which is very close to the market, although on our way we ran into a few of Amadou's friends who are policemen. Amadou said that they had just finished their shifts and they were leaving their post, as neither of them was dressed in their uniforms. I introduced myself and explained where I was from and what I was doing in Kaolack. They were both very friendly and they seemed very concerned with if I was having a good time in Senegal. Pretty much all of the Senegalese I have met have asked to make sure I was enjoying their country, which I think is the most natural question for a native to ask a visitor. I assured them that I have had nothing but positive experiences in this country. Then one of them asked me if I was enjoying the nightlife here in Senegal as well as the Senegalese women. I told them that I had a great time in Dakar with the nightlife because of the clubs, but here in Kaolack I had yet to check any out yet. They said that we could go out together one of my nights here and them one of them joked that he could provide me a Senegalese woman, or multiple women. 

I hear jokes like these very often here and the inherent objectification/commodification of Senegalese women always makes me uncomfortable. I laughed saying that wasn't necessary, since I never know how to respond to these jokes and laughing is usually my first instinct in those situations. I often feel guilty by the fact that I respond with a laugh rather than correcting them or explaining why the joke is problematic. I spoke up one time after I telling my family about the demographics of the MSID group 3 guys 11 girls. They joked that if I gave Amadou one of the female students then they would give me pretty Senegalese women. I laughed awkwardly initially, not answering the question hoping we would just continue with the conversation. Then they asked what the problem was and I explained that in the states "giving" any of my friends to anyone was not something I could do and it was a concept that I had only encountered here in Senegal. The most that you can do in the states is match two people, but what happens next is up to the both of them. It's never a matter of anyone being given to anyone, because that's treating a person like an object, with no concern for their own desires. 

Here I understand that these are jokes, but they are a sign of the mentality of the men and their perceptions of women that further contribute to the inequality here. I think there is likely due to the prevalence of the Islamic religion here (95% Islam). I say this because it is acceptable for Muslim men in Senegal to have multiple wives and for them to give away their daughters as wives. The male figure is considered the guide for his wife and daughters so he is thought to know what is best for them. There societal value for the ability of the father to give their daughters away and so I believe that is why it has become joke among the younger Senegalese men. Additionally young Senegalese men are also known for having multiple girlfriends (not surprisingly). So there is always the possibility of "acquiring" another girlfriend, an idea which further contributes to the objectification of women. 

After we parted ways with Amadou's friends we continued to the bank to withdraw money. He then went with me to get my haircut at one of the barbershops which was nearby in the grand market. He waited outside while the barber cut my hair and he did a very good job. I gave the barber 2000CFA and he gave me back 1000CFA. I looked at him waiting to give me the other 500 CFA, but he never did. So Amadou and I left because I thought about it and in reality I still got very nice haircut for a little over $2. Afterwards I asked Amadou why I paid 1000 CFA because I thought the price for a haircut was always 500 CFA. That's the way it was in Dakar and that's the way that Amadou initially said it was in Kaolack too. Amadou often comes to this barber, which is the reason we came here, and he knew a lot of people at the shop when we arrived so I trusted his judgement. I told him that I thought that the barber had increased the price just because he knew I was American and he agreed that was probably the case, which is something that upset me.

I understand the perception that many Senegalese have of Americans as wealthy, understandably, because of the difference in our economies and the overall standards of living. Additionally the Americans who come to Senegal are the ones who get the better end of the economic prosperity in America because they have the money to travel. I feel that it is important to note that there are surely though who are struggling financially in America. Despite the fact that am an American, I didn't feel comfortable with just accepting an augmented price. I remembered being in a similar situation before with a Jakarta before who increased the price he wanted once we arrived at the destination. With the Jakarta it wasn't ever the amount which was the problem because it reality it was no more than an extra $1. It was only a matter of my desire for the Jakarta to keep his word to the amount we agreed upon before I got on the motorcycle. I didn't like how the Jakarta felt like he could increase the price just because I wasn't Senegalese, and I felt like the same thing was happening here with the barber. So Amadou and I went to ask the barber if he increased the price because I was American, because really I just wanted to know. He said that he didn't and that he normally charges 1000 CFA and although I didn't quite believe him I accepted it and left. 

Afterwards we proceeded to the interior of the grand market to get my boubou. The Grand Market in Kaolack is the second largest "covered market" in West Africa. Some of the market is in two story buildings and the shops are each the size of a storage rooms or one car garage with a metallic door that pulls down, much like a garage door.The rest of the market, the part which is like a maze, just has covering over the entire thing. Sometimes after my internship I'll walk through the market, since it's on my way home from the Chamber of Commerce, and wonder through it looking at all of the shops as you can easily get lost in it. The grand market is basically like a mall and you can find practically anything there if you look hard enough. 

An interesting thing is that many of the items which are being sold in the Grand Market are from China, and the Senegalese know this very well. I bought a pair of authentic "Beats by Dre" headphones for 1000 CFA ($2) (The "b" came off of the headphones after a week).When my brother Amadou saw them he immediately said "China". The same thing happened a few days ago at my internship when one of the employees was showing the other employees his new laptop. I could hear all of them commenting dismissively and disapprovingly about how it was from China. There is a general impression among the Senegalese that products from China are not of good quality, however there are a lot of them. This is the same case for the US as many of our products are "Made in China", however here in Senegal the large amount of importation can often be viewed as a hindrance to economic growth. Micro-finance firms are often more comfortable with funding vendors of already made products than they are with artisans or creators of products because there is less risk in those investments, especially in an economy such as Senegal's. 

As we walked through the market there were shops on both sides of us, as the walkways were pretty tight. I usually would step to the side to let someone who was walking my way pass by. All of the shops were either selling cloth for Senegalese garments or products that I could guess had probably come from China. When we arrived at the shop that I would be purchasing my cloth from we ran into my sisters Djelia and Xadit sitting inside the shop. Djelia was looking around and Xadit was eating lunch. I picked out the color of the boubou I wanted, black with white stitching, and Djelia and Amadou basically did all of the bargaining for me. I really didn't know how much a boubou should cost so I trusted their judgement with that. It ended up being 3000 ($6) per meter, which I remember from my Wolof class was a pretty fair price. Then the tailor took my measurements so he could create the boubou. Overall I think the purchase went really smoothly and I was glad to have finally purchased a boubou. 

After purchasing the boubou we walked to the village artisinal which wasn't too far from the Grand Market. We spent about an hour there as I went around searching for gifts for friends and family back home. The village artisinal is a small area which sells products which are actually made by the Senegalese, and not just sent over from China like the ones in the Grand Market. They make much better gifts in my opinion because they're hand crafted and are truly from Senegal. The type of products there reminded me a lot of the Soubedioume market that I went to in during my last weekend in Dakar. As we walked from shop to shop I bargained with each of the vendors that I bought something from, which I enjoy doing. When we went to HLM, which is the large market in Dakar, some of the other students said that they don't like always having to bargain with the guys because it's exhausting and takes a lot a time. I agree with them that it takes a lot of time but I think of it as a game. You end up talking with the vendors and getting to know them a little which I like as well. We went to the back of one of the shops and ran into another one of Amadou's friends who was carving wood sculptures. He explained that he carves a lot of the wooden sculptures that are sold at the village artisinal. He carves them and then sells them to the interested vendors. This made sense because a lot of the vendors there had similar products that looked like they had been made by the same person. Two of the things which I showed him that I bought he actually carved, so it was nice to meet the man who actually produced them. We left the village artisinal and returned back to the house.