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African Culture
WOLOF HISTORCAL INTRODUCTION "Wolof" is the standard spelling, and is a term that may also refer to the ethnic group of the Wolofs or to things originating from Wolof culture or tradition. As an aid to pronunciation, some older French publications use the spelling "Ouolof"; for the same reason, some English publications adopt the spelling "Wollof", predominantly referring to Gambian Wolof. Prior to the 20th Century, the forms "Volof", "Olof" and (rarely) "Jolof", "Jollof" and "Dyolof" can be found.Wolof history probably dates to about the 12th or 13th century. Wolof forefathers migrated west to the coast from Mali following the defeat of the Empire of the Ghana in the 11th century. Oral family histories indicate that at least some of the first settlers in the area were of Fulbe origin. Much Wolof history has been preserved in oral praise songs which are recited by griots ("professional praise singers"). Portuguese traveler accounts from the 15th century indicate an organized Wolof presence in what is still their homelands. Europeans established a fort on Gorée Island off the coast of modern day Dakar, which served as one of the primary points of departure for slaving vessels bound for the Americas. Since European contact Wolof history has undergone numerous conquests and revolts as competing rulers challenged one another for kingship. GEOGRAPHY & ECONOMY The Wolof people make up more than one-third of Senegal’s population (2.5 million) , most of them are setteled in Coastal Senegal ,As many as 15,000 are living in New York City . Wolof speak a language that hold their name and co-spoken by most of people in Senegal and neighboring countries. The Wolof live in a harsh, tropical climate in West Africa, mostly in Senegal,Latitude and distance from the ocean control the climate of Senegal. The climate is hot and humid, with two seasons: rainy and dry: The climate of the Wolof area varies greatly from north to south. The north is nearly desert-like, while the southern region is a tropical rain forest. The crops grown in each area reflect the climate of that zone. Staple crops are sorghum and millet. Tomatoes, peppers, peanuts(The majority of Wolof make their living as peanut farmers or merchants.), and beans are also grown. Fish is very important, and rice is a staple of urban Wolof diets. Until the late 19th century, Wolof rulers played a key part in the slave trade, directing slave raids and selling captured individuals from inland peoples to the Europeans on the coast. Religion Most Wolof are Muslim, and it was most often the case that Wolof leaders converted to Islam first, before the religion spread to the less powerful members of society. Mauretanian teachers brought Islam to Wolof rulers as long ago as the 15th century. Islamic practices include praying to Allah five times a day; observance of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting; distribution of gifts to the needy; and whenever financially possible, a trip to Mecca. Many Wolof belong to old Islamic brotherhoods including the Tijaniyya and Quadiriyya. However, in recent years the Muridiyya brotherhood has grown in popularity and now has over a million members, many of whom live in the urban areas of Senegal and The Gambia. This brotherhood was founded in the 1880s by Sheik Amadu Bamba and preaches hard work and clean living as a means to salvation. Political Systems Traditionally, Wolof were ruled by several powerful headmen who were from high ranking lineages based on the length of time that they resided in the area. These lineages then elected a supreme leader from a field of qualified candidates. As there were often several qualified individuals for the job, fighting often broke out between various contingents following the death of a leader. Local chiefs were usually appointed by the leader and paid their allegiance to him by maintaining order in the hinterlands and collecting taxes and tributes. Society was divided into a series of caste-like categories, and there were two categories of enslaved people, those born into the household and those who were captured or purchased. CULTURE The Wolof people make up more than one-third of Senegal’s population, and have been the dominant group in the region for generations. They have developed a rich cultural tradition which is marked by their hospitality (The Wolof value and practice teranga (hospitality) and enjoy playing the role of host). and willingness to include outsiders. Their culture has embraced the Muslim religion since the 10th century. A century of Christian mission effort has had little impact, and there are only a few Wolof believers. It is known that every African ethnic group has its cultural particularities. However, some characteristics are common to several groups; there is a culture of the Sahelian countries which is clearly different from that of the forest countries. If you speak of Negro-African culture as a whole, only the most striking characteristics are mentioned; it would be compared to talking about occidental culture including societies as different as the North European countries, the Latin countries and the United States. The Wolof culture has gone through some influence that has contributed to determining its originality With a common Negro-African background, one can feel a strong impact of Islamic and French ways of thinking. The other Senegalese ethnic groups do no all have the same proportion of these various cultural elements especially as concerns Islam. Some are only partially Muslim; others are more or less Christianized while some have preserved the animistic customs. In spite of these important differences, there is certainly also a Senegalese culture, which is distinguished from, for example, Malian or Guinean culture in many aspects. The most striking points are: The value system of any people or culture lies deep within every member of that society, and is caught over years of being a part of of it. It is not formally taught. It will determine how decisions are made and who makes them. It will control the actions of its members. The value system is made up of several or many different values. Most individuals are not even aware that they are operating based on a set of rules because they are invisible, yet imbedded within their psyche dictating their actions, goals and lifestyle. A few of the basic values in Wolof society are: njaboot /mbokk—family is sacred kersa__being prudent, tactful, respectful, and dignified fayda—self-confidence, self-esteem, personality One should have an abundance of kersa and fayda. Pride is a mark of the Wolof. sutura—discretion teraanga—hospitality teggin—knowing one's place in society jom—determination to succeed kolere—gratefulness, relationship mun—patience muus—being clever; there is a deep admiration for cunning; getting the best of a stronger, richer neighbor is applauded. group conformity—an individual does not have a valuable opinion, only a group consensus is valid; personal decisions are strange and not natural. Taboos: To marry someone weaned from the same breast. ( Islamic influence ) To marry out of one’s social caste. Types of Art: Many Wolof art forms incorporate beautiful inscriptions and representations of respected Islamic teachers. Recycled art is also produced in Dakar. LANGUAGE (WOLOF) Wolof as a language stands as one of the most -if not the most-distinguishing features of Wolofs,Wololf is the most widely-spoken language in Senegal, spoken not only by members of the Wolof ethnic group (approximately 40% of the population) but also by most other Senegalese ,it is also spoken in Gambia & Mauritania . Wolof dialects may vary between countries (Senegal and the Gambia) and the rural and urban areas. "Dakar-Wolof", for instance, is an urban mixture of Wolof, French, Arabic, and even a little English spoken in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.Total speakers of the language are estimated at approximately 6,7 million(80% of the population of Senegal speak the language added to 500.000 in neighboring countries) : 3.2 million speak Wolof as their mother tongue in addition to 3.5 million speak Wolof as second or acquired language.Wolof belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family In the whole region from Dakar to Saint-Louis, and also west and southwest of Kaolack, Wolof is spoken by the vast majority of the people. Typically when various ethnic groups in Senegal come together in cities and towns, they speak Wolof. It is therefore spoken in almost every regional and departmental capital in Senegal despite its location and ethnic makeup. For example, even in the city of Fatick where a majority of the people are Serrer, or in the city of Tambacounda where a majority are Pulaar, or in the city of Ziguinchor where the majority are Diola, Wolof is spoken in most public settings. The official language of Senegal is French. In Gambia, about 15% (approximately 200,000 people) of the population speak Wolof as a first language, but Wolof has a disproportionate influence because of its prevalence in Banjul, The Gambia's capital, where 50% of the population use it as a first language. In Serrekunda , The Gambia is largest town, only few people have Wolof ethnicity, although approximately 90% of the population speaks and/or understands Wolof. Increasingly, young people from hetero-ethnic parents grow up using Wolof as a first language. Overall, Wolof is gaining influence in The Gambia, partly due to its association with the popular mbalax music and Senegalese popular culture. In Banjul and Serrekunda, Wolof has gained lingua franca status and is already more widely spoken than Mandinka. The official language of the Gambia is English; Mandinka (40%), Wolof (15%) and Fula (15%) are as yet not used in formal education. In Mauritania, about 7% (approximately 185,000 people) of the population speak Wolof. There, the language is used only around the southern coastal regions. Mauritania's official language is Arabic; French is used as lingua franca. There is no officially standardized orthography for Wolof, but the language institute "Centre de linguistique appliquee de Dakar" (CLAD) is widely acknowledged as an authority when it comes to spelling rules for Wolof. Wolof is written with the letters of the Latin alphabet. Wolof phonemes have a clear, one-to-one correspondence to the Roman Alphabet. This includes some additional sounds, which the Wolof added, as in the case of the letter "x" pronounced [x]. Furthermore, Wolof adds some diacritic symbols to the vowel letters to distinguish between open and closed vowels. Example: "o" is open like English "often", "ó" is closed similar to the o-sound in English "most" (but without that u-sound at the end). Single vowels are short, geminated vowels are long, so Wolof "o" is short and pronounced like "o" in English "soft", but Wolof "oo" is long and pronounced like the "a" in English "call". If a closed vowel is long, the diacretic symbol is usually set only above the first vowel, e.g. "óo", but some sources deviate from this CLAD standard and set it above both vowels.The very common Wolof letter "ë" is pronounced [ط·آ·ط¢آ···©™], if not stressed In Wolof, verbs are unchangeable words which cannot be conjugated. To express different tenses or aspects of an action, the personal pronouns are conjugated - not the verbs. Therefore, the term Temporal Pronoun has become established for this part of speech.(For more informations about the grammer , vocabulary and pronunction of Wolof ,view the link :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolof_language) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolof_language) Actually ,native speakers of the language agree that it is very difficult to teach,this would be attributed to several factors , just like complexity and lack of tight conventions _______________________ Arranged & prepared by : Hatim Alansary(Hassouna) References: 1-www.wolofonline.com 2-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolof_language 3-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolof 4-http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/Wolof.html 5-http://www.wolof.org/ _______________________________ Former Topics: 1-BAGANDA:to view it,just click on this link : http://hassouna.i8.com/baganda.html
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