VZCZCXRO6692
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0890/01 1951039
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141039Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2748
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000890 
 
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TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KISL SG
SUBJECT: Animism in Senegal 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: During a trip to the Kedougou Region of southern 
Senegal, Poloff visited the Bedik village of Ewol whose people still 
practice a nature based form of animism and who have long resisted 
conversion to Islam or Christianity.  While it is difficult to 
estimate how many true animists remain in Senegal, the highest 
concentrations are in the remote south of the country far from the 
reach of colonizers and proselytizers.  End Summary. 
 
History 
------- 
¶2.  Perched atop a 1400-foot mountain between two verdant valleys, 
Ewol has been occupied on and off since the 12th century after the 
Bedik escaped from Mali when the King of Guinea, Alpha Yahya, tried 
to convert them to Islam.  Upon refusing to do so, a great many 
Bediks were massacred and those who escaped turned to living in 
caves within that area to flee another scourge - slavery.  According 
to local legend, which was related to us by "Jean-Baptiste" who is 
the village's self-styled Catholic priest, school director, teacher, 
guide, and pharmacist, eighteen young men were singled out to be 
sacrificed to the traditional spirit that they worship.  However, 
the devil spirit spared the young men and instead sent a swarm of 
bees which attacked the invading armies, killed the Guinean king, 
and spared them from slavery.  According to Jean-Baptiste, this 
spirit continues to live in a giant Kapok tree that dominates the 
upper part of the village. 
 
The Four Families 
----------------- 
 
¶3. There are four large families that control life in the village 
whose total population is 532 souls.  According to Jean-Baptiste, 
each family is responsible for a distinct role within the social 
structure of the group.  For example the Camara family is in charge 
of keeping the animist tradition of the village alive.  These 
traditions include a long and complex initiation ritual that each 
male must undergo when he reaches the age of fifteen.  They are 
first circumcised and then they have to walk to a sacred forest 25 
miles from the village.  There they undergo training lasting five 
months where they learn how to work, hunt, till the soil, and kill 
birds, monkeys, gazelles, and goats.  The successful completion of 
this training ushers the young men into adulthood.  "That's about 
it," says Professor Thiaw, a renowned author and researcher on 
traditional religions.  "Initiation and funereal rites are core 
precepts of animism.  The idea is to connect with nature.  A central 
theme of animism is the belief in the power of trees, crossroads, 
and nature in general.  Animists believe that God gave all things a 
spirit and that those spirits can be discovered and harnessed, hence 
the veneration of trees and their life force." 
 
¶4. In the center of Ewol stands a massive baobab tree where the 
villagers hold their annual sacrifices.  The tree is also where, in 
the past, leading elders were buried and where it is believed that 
their spirits still reside.  However, despite its remoteness, Ewol 
is not immune to influences from the outside world.  Jean-Baptiste 
informed us that they were visited by French missionaries in 1953 
and that some villagers converted to Catholicism.  The village thus 
has a small church for a congregation of thirty-six Christians. 
 
Animism and African Culture 
--------------------------- 
 
¶5. "In fact, everyone in Senegal is an animist of sorts" continued 
professor Thiaw.  "In Senegal, people took from Islam what they 
needed and integrated it into the syncretic form we have today. 
Hence, many of the rituals that we see today in Senegalese Islam 
have their roots firmly in animism or African culture.  Take, for 
example, the veneration of the tomb of the deceased that is so 
prevalent among the brotherhoods.  This is forbidden in Islam, but 
in Senegal all the brotherhoods venerate their deceased marabouts. 
This comes from a Serer animist ritual called "Pangool".  Professor 
Thiaw says that, while it is very difficult to put a number to just 
how many animists are in Senegal, he acknowledges that it is more 
prevalent in southern Senegal citing the Bediks, the Bassari, and 
some Serers as modern-day practioners.  He also believes that Islam 
and Christianity destroyed basic African culture by demonizing many 
of the pastoral/animist rites that had been developed over the 
centuries.  He posits that more and more countries in the region are 
re-affirming these old beliefs because there is an understanding 
that, by dismissing animism they are rejecting their own cultural 
heritage.  "In some respects modern religions imprison man within 
certain boundaries always giving God the final decision.  For 
animists, the process of boundless discovery is the gift from God." 
 
Comment 
-------- 
 
¶6. The persistence of animism in Senegalese culture through its 
integration into everyday mainstream religious rituals shows that, 
despite many efforts, it remains a potent force in the national 
 
DAKAR 00000890  002 OF 002 
 
 
psyche.  As professor Thiaw points out, animism may experience a 
possible revival as people begin to believe that animism is 
sometimes less about magic and mystique forces, but more about 
practical practices such as rituals to rid fields of crickets as 
performed by farmers wanting a bountiful harvest. 
Smith