Everyday Life in Senegal

Greetings
Dress
Being a Tubaab in Senegal
General Tips

The purpose of this Culture Guide is to identify and describe the fundamental cultural issues in Senegalese society in order to help you acquire the cross-cultural skills essential to your success as a development worker in Senegal. Although many different ethnic groups are found in Senegal, these groups generally share common cultural patterns and practices. Therefore, this Culture Guide applies to the majority of the country's people, while a certain emphasis is placed on the widespread Wolof culture.

Having chosen to live in Senegal, you have chosen to grapple with an entirely new society whose values, priorities and goals may be quite different from those in which you have been brought up, in which you have believed and which you have defended for over twenty years. Consciously or unconsciously, you have been affected by the ideals of your own society. Senegalese society can be viewed as a system composed of elements which work together to reinforce the basic goals of the society. Because these goals differ from those with which you are accustomed, the dress code, eating habits, work ethics, attitudes towards money and material possessions, ideas about equality, structure of language, holidays, religion, education, gender roles, and importance of time and space all reflect different priorities.

You are not obliged to change your beliefs and values in order to live comfortably in Senegal. However, you can certainly make your life easier and your work more efficient by understanding and applying this new Senegalese system rather than trying to challenge it by imposing your own priorities and expectations. By integrating positive Senegalese values and traditions and adapting compatible techniques from the West, you are more likely to achieve the goals you have set out to accomplish and to live a more complete and fulfilling experience in Senegal.

Greetings

Greetings are an essential aspect of Senegalese culture the importance of which can never be over-emphasized. Many development workers who have lived in a village can attest to the amount of time spent going through the greetings when one Senegalese meets another during the day. The exchange of greetings is the key to successful interaction with Senegalese people at every level, whether in the market, on the street, in the office, or over the telephone.

People are taken aback if you do not greet first before beginning a conversation even if you just want to ask a question. When you address someone to ask for somebody without greeting first, you will get the response "s/he went to learn how to greet", which is a nice way of saying that you are rude. Greeting serves as an icebreaker and will make the person you greet feel better disposed toward you. Greeting in a local language is recommended ("Salaamalekum"), but a French 'Bonjour' will do.

For foreigners, these greetings may seem a meaningless waste of time because they are always the same and quite lengthy. You may also be baffled to see a Senegalese doing something you consider "really important" stop everything to spend ten minutes greeting a friend s/he has seen just hours ago. But once again it is because greeting acknowledges the existence of another human being and taking the time to relate to him or her in a personal way is a priority in Senegalese society which helps achieve the goal of harmony and peace in the community.

Every member of the community is expected to greet every other member of the community regardless of status or wealth. Indeed, the greetings are a way for Senegalese to show respect for every member of the community, rich or poor, noble or of a low caste because every member has an important role to fulfill.

Shaking hands is also a part of the greeting process. People shake hands as often as they see each other during different times of the day. Women, especially in villages, are not normally expected to shake hands when greeting. When greeting a group of people or someone from a distance, raising clasped hands will take the place of a handshake. When one is working or eating, the arm may be offered instead. Senegalese people follow a certain protocol for greeting elders: greeting an elder first and avoiding direct eye contact. Also, physical affection for a loved one or emotion in general is not openly shown in public. Note that in shaking hands the right hand is always used.

It is also interesting to note that Senegalese people often express anger, not by hostile words or threats, but by refusing to greet the person. This is considered a great insult denoting a lack of respect or outright contempt for the individual. This is important to remember since in the U.S. a "hello" and a wave of the hand are enough to show the pleasure you get from seeing someone. If a Senegalese is asked why he spends so much time greeting, repeating the family name over and over, he would reply that he is not only saying the name of the individual with whom he is speaking, but that he is also acknowledging that person's entire family, the ancestors as well as the living and the history of the family.

Foreigners living in Senegal (especially in a traditional village) must realise then that they may hurt people's feelings by not greeting every individual with whom they come into contact even if the other is in the middle of a business transaction, a discussion with someone else, reading etc. This can be exasperating if the foreigners think that Senegalese people have the same priorities as they dorespect for privacy, work, time, etc. They don't understand the cultural significance of showing concern for the well being of the individual and his family circle by means of the greeting ritual.

The foreigner may think nothing of walking into an office and saying point blank "I need this or that", because in his society he is trying not to waste the other person's time and to get straight to the point. This foreigner may wonder why Senegalese people are so slow to help him out (or even seem a bit hostile) even though it may be their job. However, the Senegalese feels he has not been acknowledged before getting down to what he considers secondary matters.

It is obvious that a Senegalese will fare better in the U. S. if he learns the polite way to approach people according to Western standards. So when the foreigner in Senegal learns the Senegalese greetings and uses them, this indicates to Senegalese that the person is one who has taken the time to learn what is important in Senegal and feels the person respects him and the customs of his society. He is therefore much more eager to help this individual. It is also interesting that most foreigners who learn Senegalese languages participate with sincerity and learn to value this ritual, finding it difficult to return to societies whose priorities makes it impossible to devote time to this type of interaction.

(Source: ACI)

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Dress in Senegal

Dress is very important in Senegal in both traditional and urban setting. This is evident by the large number of tailors sewing in the side walk shops as well as by the wide variety of cloth sold in markets around the country, and the bright colours and prints of imported cottons. Local tie dye and batik are stylishly and elegantly worn. ln traditional Senegalese society, a garment should cover most parts of the body. The garment should fit loosely so that the shape of the body is not revealed. Men wear "boubous" and "grand boubous", which are long gowns with elongated arm holes worn over baggy trousers.

Older women also wear grand boubous. Younger women will be seen wearing distinctive close fitting tunic with a plunging neckline and matching wrapped skirt made from cotton prints. In the urban areas, European style clothing is also commonly worn. Although certain dress style may be unique to one ethnic group, most clothing styles are worn interchangeably by everyone.

Much of the imported cloth comes from Asia and Europe. Boubous and grand boubous are often made from tie-dye or batik damask and are embroidered in elaborate designs. "Anangos" as well as shorter boubous are also made from the locally strip cloth that comes in multi-coloured strips between four and eight inches wide. Sometimes a white strip cloth woven made with local cotton or imported thread may be used.

While women usually wear headties to match their dress, men often wear wool hats, skull hats or a fez, especially on religious occasions. Hair styles are a work of art in Senegal. Women braid and plait their hair, often using fibre extension in intricate and ornate designs. Relaxed or straightened hair styles will also be seen in the urban areas. Senegalese women wear earrings, necklaces and pearls. Gold and silver ornaments are also popular.

Senegalese women are as modest as they are elegant. Modesty in dress is in part an influence of Islam. The thighs of a woman in particular should not to be exposed. For women, wearing pants, even long ones, is considered inappropriate by tradition, although in urban areas today younger women frequently wear long pants. While bare breasts are not considered immoral or provocative among Senegalese people in a rural context, women do not normally walk with bare breasts outside their compounds unless when they are working or breast feeding.

(Source: ACI)

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Being a Tubaab in Senegal

Being a "tubaab" (white person, or tourist) in Senegal can often involve being enduring a certain amount of harassment as you go about your daily life. The reason why an individual or a group of individuals bother, robs, belittle, bully or sexually harass others vary from boredom to curiosity to long-standing ethnic, class or national hostility. Senegal is generally viewed as a peaceful country but it has also witnessed some harassment cases which are sometimes serious. These range from robbery, house breaking, rape, mugging, discrimination etc. To ensure one is on guard, the following guidelines should be observed:

Avoiding potentially dangerous locations

Beaches, inter-city bus terminals (Colobane and Pompier in Dakar), bus stops, slums, some drinking places (clandos), markets, gambling places, brothels, and generally crowded places, especially stadiums at the end of sports competitions or music shows.

Ensuring Safety

• Avoid walking alone at night or in isolated places

• Be cautious of giving rides to people you don't know

• Know very well the person you give your address to

• Don't expose large sums of money

• Put money in safe pocket or purse

• Don't have sexual affairs with married people

• Before making friends with someone, introduce him/her to your host family, colleagues or language instructors

• Beware of scams (a common story is about a friend or a family member who is sick or who has had an accident and needs your financial help.)

Forms Of Harassment And How To Cope

* Tubaab

This word means "white person" and it is not derogatory. But the fact that people, especially children, keep calling you Tubaab instead of your name can sound discriminating and may bother you. You can ignore them or tell them your real name, but avoid showing your anger. One common practice amonst the Wolof is to call other people by their ethnic groups (Boy Pulo, Sereer, Joola, etc), which actually means "I know who you are, or rather what you are", and is a good excuse to initiate joking relationships.

* Begging and Borrowing

Among Senegalese, it is common for people to beg or to borrow things and money from each other. As a foreigner, you may be appraoched frequently with this type of request since you are generally considered to be rich. If you don't want to encourage them you should send them away politely. Tell them you are a volunteer/development worker and not a tourist, or make a polite excuse like "I'd like to help you but I can't given my situation at this time". Also, when you give money to your friends or family, they usually think that they don't have to pay you back. Often this is what happens: you hear your friend or 'brother' or sister' say they want something but they cannot afford it; you offer to help by saying "I have the money with me, I can give you what you need" (what you mean is 'I give it to you now, you give it back later'), and the person takes it as a gift. S/he may never pay you back that money, although s/he might spend a lot more than the sum owed you.

* Friendship

As anywhere in the world, some people would like to be your "friends" so that they can financially and materially benefit from you. Given the difficult economic realities of Senegal today, they may also expect you to help them to go to Europe or North America. As a result they might ask for your address, telephone number, etc. If you are not interested, show indifference. Tell them you have no phone or give any plausible excuse. Naturally and over time, you will have the opportunity to meet many people and make good and lasting friendships.

* Sexual Harassment

Whether you are male or female you will probably one day be approached by someone who would like to engage you in a relationship. If you are interested, give yourself the time to get to know this person. If you are not, then you can walk out tactfully by demonstrating an uninterested attitude or by directly expressing the fact that you are not interested. Tell them you are married or you have a fiancée. Or, even that you consider them as your 'brother' or 'sister' and that you want them to treat you as such.

* Bargaining

Except in supermarkets and stores where the prices are marked, bargaining is the common practice when shopping in open markets and in many smaller stores. Vendors will not generally bargain on items which are commonly sold by the measurement, e.g. cup of sugar, quantity of salt or spices, kilo of meat, cup of oil, etc.

Vegetable prices, however, will vary according to their availability. In some cases one might notice there are different prices set, one price for Senegalese people and another, higher price for foreigners or tourists. The difference in price sets will not vary much with food items, but will for fabric, wood work, craft and luxury items.

Many people feel justified in asking more from foreigners given the obvious economic disparity, and also given the inherent sense of Islamic charity in which one having more is expected to give to those with less. Being able to use a local language delights vendors. However, there is a point at which a vendor will go no further and may become intransigent, insulted or even bored if one persists in undercutting the last stated price. Prices may vary from day to day depending on the vendor's mood or situation, as well as the approach of the customer. Bargaining can be fun and is a great way to make conversation with Senegalese people and practice language skills. If the effort to get beneath the tourist price is taken too seriously, a great deal of time and frustration may be wasted over a few francs. Vendors will also become offended if you bargain for an item with no intention of buying it.

One approach is not to go right to the item you want, pretend to be just browsing, then ask as if you just wanted to know the price. Then after bargaining in two or three shops far from each other, you certainly will have a better sense of the normal price. Also, ask around about the price of things you want to buy. Don't forget that you are in an oral culture.

A note on taxis: Regular "yellow-black" taxis have a meter with 2 fares: simple between 6 am and midnight (the meter shows the figure 1), and double from midnight to 6 am (the meter shows the figure 2). However today it is common practice to bargain for the fare before entering the taxi. SOTRAC buses and Car Rapides (blue/yellow or white buses) have fixed fares. In buses you buy a ticket, while in Car Rapides you hand the fare to the "apprenti" when he claims it. One can also bargain when securing the services of a tailor, smith, carpenter, mason, employee, etc.

(Source: ACI)

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Some General Tips

Remember that the following observations are generalisations. Expect exceptions!

• Senegalese do not use their left hand in eating, handing out things (especially money!), or greeting people. Avoid doing so as it will appear extremely rude. If you have to use your left hand for whatever reason (if your right hand is wet/dirty etc.), use your left hand, but apologize for doing so. The Wolof expression "Baal ma camon" means "excuse my left hand" and is used for this purpose. Or, if it's a situation where you need to shake someone's hand, it is also acceptable to offer your right wrist for the other person to "shake" if you are unable to use your right hand.

• It is customary to escort your guests out of your house after entertaining them and to walk them down the street or even back to their house if it's not too far.

• The emphasis on time is quite different in Senegal than it is in the West. Things move more slowly, and there's a greater emphasis on relationships, rather than how many tasks one can accomplish in one day.

• When you go to visit someone's home and family, take a small gift. Tea or fruit is always appropriate. On the other hand, if you are a guest in someone's home, especially for an extended period of time, you may be offered a gift, such as a bracelet, a scarf, a favorite book, etc. Be careful of expressing admiration for things (clothes, pictures, etc.), as people will often feel inspired to offer the item to you for you to keep. If you don't think you would feel comfortable accepting the item, you may want to tone down the level of enthusiasm with which you comment on it. A gift, once offered, is difficult to refuse without offending the giver.

• If you are ill, people will probably flock to you, rather than "leave you alone" as is expected in the Western culture. If you're seen sitting alone or looking depressed, people will tend to join you, to help you avoid feeling lonely even though you may not be feeling that at the time and may just want to be alone.

• You should keep in mind that crying has a very different connotation in Sénégal, where it is generally reserved for extremely grave or disastrous occasions, such as death. The American habit of crying to express emotion or to "get something off your chest" is not very well understood. Do not be surprised if your tears of frustration are met by frantic attempts to stop them at any cost, since, for your Senegalese friends, crying is associated with extreme despair.

• When with older people, do not look them directly in the eye, as this is a sign of disrespect. Direct eye contact is much less common in general in Senegal. You'll find that people will look away from you while you're holding a conversation with them.

• When speaking with older people, remember the importance of respect for elders. Depending on the context, it may not be appropriate to address an elder by their legal name. Follow the example of the person introducing you. It is very likely, for example, that you would simply call your best friend's mother by the Wolof term for mother (Yaay), rather than by her name.

• When in someone's home, always take off your shoes before waking on a rug or carpeted area, or before sitting on or around a mat. People use floor mats to serve meals on.

• You will learn most eating rules through experience, but here are a few pointers:

- Never touch any food with your left hand.

- Always stay in your part of the bowl (an imaginary pie shape directly in front of you).

- Try not to drop crumbs in someone else's part.

- Be prepared to eat a lot!!!!

• Do NOT walk in front of people who are praying, as it would indicate they are praying for a dead person (you or whoever is directly in front of them). The exception to this rule is when they have placed a small object directly at the front of their prayer mats which allows people to pass in front of the mat. At some distance from the person who is praying, you can pass in front of them.

Use your best judgement, common sense, and close observation of others to determine what that distance is. Otherwise, you can always walk BEHIND someone who is praying.

• When entering a room or a new situation, be sure to shake everyone's hand, even the youngest child.

• A visit from someone is regarded as a gift. If a friend visits you, it's natural to repay the gift and visit the person in her or his home (although, if you are a woman and have received unwanted visits from males, don't feel that you have to repay the visit!)

A Word about Bucket Bath And Pit Latrine

In many Senegalese homes, especially in rural areas, people use a pit latrine. It is expensive to obtain and maintain a flush toilet and many people can't afford it. If you live in such a compound you will also be expected to use it. Showers are also taken with water in a bucket. Before using a pit latrine or Turkish stool, it is better to take off your trousers completely or remove the things in the pockets. Squat above the hole with your feet in the middle. The latrine and shower are usually not in the same place. For showers people use ten or fifteen-liter buckets. You need a bucket of water, a cup, soap and sponge. Take water with the cup and pour it over your body from the head and then clean with soap and sponge.

In urban areas, because of the frequent water shortages, the flush in bathrooms may not work. The user is expected to collect water from a tap located in the bathroom (sometimes outside) and pour the water in the toilet to flush it. In most homes a bucket full of water will be kept in the bathroom. Remember it is totally correct and not embarrassing at all to ask for some water before entering the toilet. Most Senegalese people visiting a house will ask one of the host "Can I have some water, I want to use the toilet". Water replaces toilet paper.

(Source: ACI)

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