May 18 - Islam in Senegal

PIX 

We began the day at WARC with a welcome from the Director of the Center, a very affable and capable man.  We then registered online with the US State Department, which was an adventure for many of us with non-qwerty keyboards.  We heard a short lecture on Islam in Senegal, with an emphasis on its Sufi roots.  This was coupled with a long question-and-answer session about contemporary Islam in Senegal.  It was very interesting, especially as we explored the power of the Marabouts.

After a leisurely lunch at WARC, we made a quick stop at the site of a new mosque, where we were introduced to one of the most powerful religious figures in Dakar, who welcomed us to what will eventually be a significant center for Muslims in Dakar.

After that we went to a Darra, or Darul uloom, an Islamic school which bears much resemblance to an old Irish hedge school.  The school itself was in the shade of a tree in the corner of a large vacant lot in the middle of Dakar.  The boys (there were about 40 of them, ranging in age from 7 to 16) live on the grounds and go to school year-round there.  This was certainly the most emotional time of the tour thus far.  These students live in the open air, without facilities and in poverty.  They memorize the Qur'an and, as their master told us, learn how to live a religious life, how to be a member of society, with all the values that the Qur'an embraces.  They were like students and little boys everywhere.  As we spoke with their master about the school, they played around with one another and goofed off.  But when one of us asked the master if they were good students, they hushed immediately and hung on his assessment.  Our visit concluded with two students singing passages from a Sura.  We left them with gifts of some necessities and some Georgia Southern T-shirts, and the pictures we took there are certainly the most warm and human we've seen yet.

We moved next to the Islamic Center and the Grande Mosque.  This was an impressive edifice, and we had the space to ourselves as we heard some commentary from Wali and one of the sextons about the structure and the Friday services it holds.  For me, the most interesting note was that the stairs upon which the Imam stands to deliver his message have a type of frontispiece about 7 feet above the ground, so that when the Imam preaches, not many people can see his face.  Perhaps the idea behind this is that while he is speaking, who he is isn't important, but what he is saying is.  The message is more important than the man.

After this day filled with religion, we headed to the hotel for dinner on our own and in groups.  The last of our bags finally arrived at the airport, so that now, 6 days after we left Statesboro, our bags were all finally on the same continent.  Bu it won't be until tomorrow that they will all be in our hands.