Throughout the year in Senegal, but especially during Ramadan, the traditional toothpick, the sothiou, can be seen in almost every mouth. In addition to cleaning your teeth and freshening your breath, it is also seen as a sign of piety, distracting you from the evils of smoking, keeping your mouth pure for prayer time, and [...]
Today is the most important national holiday in Senegal, Tabaski, the Wolof word for the Festival of the Sheep, known elsewhere in the Muslim world as Aïd-el-Kebir. It is a celebration of an event that is also important to Jews and Christians, that is, the sacrifice by Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) of his eldest son. [...]
Those who imagine the Muslim world to be a single unified block of believers might be surprised that in just one West African country, Senegal, there are any number of different groups of Muslims, none of whom conform to the supposed hegemony of Saudi Wahhabism. In Senegal, as in many parts of Muslim Africa, Sufism [...]
I almost fell out of the taxi, holding baby J under one arm and dragging out her buggy behind me.
Source of great amusement to the devout beggars lining the sidewalk around the mosque. Baby J waved wildly at the old men and got big smiles in return.
Having broken the ice, I asked the nearest guy [...]
Say what?!