Ceramics

Two nights ago, Saturday night, after the experience with the tailor and the cloth-buying, I went chez Fatou Bintou (another student) to break the fast and eat dinner. Coincidentally, their next-door neighbors were throwing a HUGE Catholic wedding reception. Of course, during Ramadan it is not permissible to dance or really to listen to music at all. The whole point is to concentrate on God and to eliminate worldly distractions - to suffer mildly in order to understand the suffering of the prophets and of God himself (God is referred to as male in the Islamic faith). But who can resist some bumpin' jams. Much to the dismay and anger of a few of FaBintou's brothers, we simply couldn't prevent ourselves from shakin' our tail feathers to the loud music. Of course, the bride and groom (and much of their family) were Catholic and were not in observation of Ramadan. It was interesting to think about why one might prevent oneself from dancing or better why one might prevent oneself from listening to music. This is one aspect of the culture around which I cannot wrap my head.

As I previously explained, part of the cultural experience here is working with local artists and creating out own art under their guidance. Today was the first day that the group went to 'La Village des Arts' (or stayed at the school if they were doing batik). The village consists of three, maybe four rows of small studios in which local and international artists live and work. There is one community sink in the middle of the 'compound', so to speak, which is not only the clean up sink, but the ONLY water source for all the artists. During the day, the sun beats down on the tin roofs, creating little sauna-cells for in which the artists' and students' bodies roast like coffee beans. There are also plenty of mosquitos to go around. I was bitten no less than 30 times on my left foot alone. The Village is also home to hundreds of stray dogs and cats. None of these extreme conditions seems to bother the artists, who happily bound in and out of each others' studios throughout the day.

My group of three did ceramics. I forget the artist's name, but I shall ask him tomorrow. He, like many artists and craftspeople in Senegal, comes from a family of clayworkers. His brother actually lives and works as a ceramics-doer in Minnesota. His son was everpresent, helping to cut the clay, prop up the table and fetch sculpting water. 

Looking around the studio one could see a variety of different ceramics dishes, bowls and even a few sculptures. After two hours of working, our BASIC pots looked very rough. It was intimidating to look around the room and see a statue of a newly-wed couple, a pot whose skin resembled that of an alligator, a pot whose skin was en checkers, etc; then to not be overwhelmed by the talent in the room. Hopefully, by the end of the week our creations will more closely resemble those of the master. Today's made this goal seem unattainable. 

We will return to the Village every afternoon this week to perfect our crafts. Maybe tomorrow I will remember my camera so you can all see the wonders of the studio (and the crap-tastic pots, if they can be called that, we threw today!). 

Ba beneen yoon, inshallah!

Until next time...

The club, the market

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille

THE CLUB!!!! After two + weeks in Dakar, the group finally got around to going out. There is a nice little jazz/ambient "toubab" bar called "Just 4 U" that features so-called 'hoppin' music right in the same neighborhood as SIT. (Toubab = non-Senegalese/non-African, not necessarily white.) While it was nice to go out to the club and socialize with my classmates and other Anglophones, I was sort of hoping that the music would be a little more lively. Everyone keeps reassuring us that after Ramadan the city will become much more vibrant and lively. I certainly hope this is true, because if I ever have to hear four songs in a row at a 60bpm maximum tempo again in my life, I might fall into a narcoleptic coma. 

Some students from the other organizations here in Dakar (CIEE, Minnesota, etc.) have been visiting karaoke bars, dance clubs and other night spots. They all say the same thing, which is that everything will be different while Ramadan is over. I am definitely glad part of our time here was during this month of submission and devotion. Living with devout muslims during Ramadan, we are all learning so much about the Islamic faith; however, I will be SO excited when the month is over and Dakar returns to its normal cosmopolitan self. 

Korite - the party to mark the end of Ramadan. This is a very exciting party (particularly for those non-muslims among us who enjoy the nightlife and vitality associated with a metropolitan area). For Korite, everyone makes huge amounts of Senegalese couscous, among other things, and many streets are closed for public gatherings. It is tradition to purchase a new outfit as well. So, to follow tradition, I went to the market yesterday with the sister of a another student, and purchased some fashionable fabrics. She then took us to her favorite tailor, who, since she was once his employee, agreed to make two boubous (the top/bottom combination worn by men) and a pair of shorts for the standard price of one boubou. This was great news! Her sister also saved us a lot of money when we were in the fabric market. For Americans who don't know the prices of materials and prints, it was nice to have someone who not only knows what each fabric should cost, but who is assertive enough to fight the vendors for a competitively low price. For the fabric AND the tailor's fees for two outfits and a pair of shorts, I payed roughly $40 (American dollars). I have never had clothes tailor made, so I am very excited to wear them at Korite.

The crew is off to lunch, but it is Sunday so I would like to come back later and tell you all about the bus. Yes, we got on the bus. Woo.

Ba beenen yoon! A la prochaine fois!

-Ryan

Hello everyone;

Asaalaamalekum (peace be upon you!)

Here is the breakdown of classes at SIT.

1. Arts and Culture seminar - In this class we have had guests lecturers from the government, from professors at local universities, etc. We discuss such topics as Islam, Islam in government, and political history in Senegal. We have also visited "Le Village des Artes" which is just that - an artistic community on the edge of Dakar where artists of a wide variety of media work and collaborate. Later on in the term, we will all choose an art-form of our liking (ceramics, batik, glass-painting, etc) and apprentice with a professional in this medium. We are also fortunate enough to participate in a similarly organized encounter with traditional Senegalese music. Each student will spend time learning djembe and traditional dance. After this time, we will then choose to focus on djembe (in more depth), dance (in more depth), tama/talking-drum, or kora (a Senegalese gourd-harp-ish thing with no pedals). 

2. Field-Study Semnar - Here we learn a variety of research techniques and relevant inormation for our ISPs (Independent Study Project). This week we have talked about our field journals, in which we take note of different cultural practices, events, homestay happenings, etc. 

3. French - Ok, put two and two together. We're not learning Arabic, we're not learning Hindi, therefore we must be learning (or working more on) French!

4. Wolof - This is helpful! Wait, that was an understatement. This is SO extremely crucial! Everyone in Dakar speaks Wolof. All of our families speak Wolof. Some people, including children living at the house, don't even speak French. If you want to pay a ridiculous price for a piece of fabric or for a taxi ride, then Wolof isn't for you; however, if you want to gain enough respect to be charged a decent fare for something, throwing out a little Wolof here and there (or even a lot of Wolof) can mean the difference between being completely ripped off and being treated like a local. 

5. ISP - This comes later on in the term. After having done all of our cultural excursions, taken FSS and languages, we will be prepared to go out and do research on a cultural topic of our choice. Some students have done their ISPs on such subjects as, trash in Dakar, NGO work with minorities and sub-groups, music, or hydrology. As you all may have guessed, mine will most likely be about music (though I will confess, some other topics have made me think twice). 

This week, in addition to our normal classes we are doing an excursion to Goree Island (off the coast of Dakar) and to a museum. We will ALSO being doing small presentation-style projects on a cultural topic of our choice. This is like an ISP but on a very small scale. My team chose to do imagery in graffiti. For your viewing pleasure I have posted some photographs. Sorry, but we haven't finished the research for the project so these pics have no captions. Enjoy

Ok, I lied twice. The work featured here is not part of our research, but it is highly politically charged. I needed this caption to explain that since there is no "image" we won't use it.

A few more days...

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille;

So much has happened since my last update; I don't even know where to begin. Since "le drop-off" the students have moved in with their homestay families, had two Wolof classes, had one French class and taken a tour (en bus) of Dakar.

My homestay family is HUGE. This is very common of Senegalese families. That it is the month of Ramadan means that friends, cousins and acquaintances are always welcome in the home, at any time of the day. Thus my home has anywhere between 15 and 20 people in it at any given time. Since everyone is on Summer vacation and cannot eat or drink during the day, most people stay up all night and sleep all day. As a student who has to attend school during the day, I do most of my sleeping at night. This presents a mild conflict with the family because I am often too tired to eat the meal that has been prepared with me in mind (though, not entirely with me in mind, because the food will ALWAYS be appreciated by someone). 

The home is extravagant by Senegalese standards - which are not necessarily lower than those in the U.S. - but usually quite different. We have three living rooms, all of which have cable TVs. There are so many bedrooms that I haven't even seen all of them yet. We even have a hot-water shower (this is a huge luxury enjoyed strictly by the elite). 

Many of my colleagues live in one-room homes with one "bathroom," which is more accurately described as a room with a hole in the ground and a wall from which (cold) water drips slowly. In most cases, their bedrooms are indoors, but the living rooms and kitchen are outdoors. Often, families will have goats or chickens living in the kitchen.

Luckily, my family is extremely accommodating - upon arrival they had already set up a mosquito net above my bed, situated a fan between my brother's and my beds and purchased 10-gallon (litre equivalent?) bottles of Toubab (white person) safe water. They also found out, through their brother who lives in Montreal, that I prefer to be vegetarian. They have been cooking traditional Senegalese meals for themselves, but also making sure there is something meatless for me to eat. I appreciate this SO much!!! I love seeing the Senegalese meals and asking questions about their origin, cooking process etc, though these questions are slightly puzzling to them considering I am male and males here do NOT cook. They also don't do laundry. I prefer to do my own laundry but Mame (pronounced mommy = the oldest woman in the house) insists that my sisters do my laundry for me.

Last night I broke the fast (bread, butter and tea) with the family of another SIT student. Words truly cannot explain the open warmth and hospitality here in Senegal. When we arrived chez Melanie (whose Senegalese name is Fatou Binetou), the entire family welcomed us into their home. They said we were welcome there at any time, even if Melanie wasn't there with us. Her sister then proceeded to tell us that she would accompany us to the market to buy fabric. She said that Toubabs would never get the right price for materials. I was unclear why I needed to go to the market to buy fabric, until she told us that she was a seamstress and intended to make us traditional Senegalese clothing. Hours passes and it came time to leave, but the family kept insisting we stay. They all seemed so sad when we told them that we had to go back to our respective families. They all said goodbye and thanked US for visiting them, when it was us who owed them thanks for the offer to make clothing, the wonderful food, and the great times. This is not unusual in Senegal, which speaks volumes about the people here. 

As power outages are tragically common here in Senegal, I am running on battery power. For now I will leave you all with pictures of the bus tour of Dakar. Until next time...

The market Sandaga. Yes, they are cutting up a WHOLE cow in the midday heat. 
A smaller mosque from a few hundred yards back and above.
L'Isle de Serpent (Snake Island). If anyone's computer can zoom in, those little dots on the beach are actually sleeping dogs.
Ah the third world...the poor and the VERY VERY rich!
Graffiti art next door to the aforepictured mansion.

Le "Drop-Off"

Family and friends,

Please forgive the irregularity of my posting habits. Senegal has given me (and the group) so much to think about - so many new lenses through which to view not only our own lives, but those of the Senegalese as well. SIT (the School of International Training) set up a cultural learning activity during which we were dropped off in downtown Dakar to seek people to answer a sheet of questions on the subject of Senegalese culture. Certain groups went to the Centre Culturel, others to le Theatre National, other to markets and others to mosques and cathedrals. My group (which was really only me and another person) started in the bank district and walked through the markets. 

The markets here are like many "craftsman" markets around the world. One can walk through at the risk of being harassed and pressured into buying local crafts. Of course we experienced this firsthand today. There are many tactics that the venders use to lure a person into buying an item or even to steal their money. Sometimes, one person will ask you to come into their shop or will stand right in front of you so you can't walk. Then, a cohort will approach from behind and ask you to come with them. The other person, who, of course, is in on the whole scheme, pulls you back toward them. Before you know it, there are two (and usually more) men on either side of you, pressuring you to take a look in their shops. Other people told stories about how they were lured into indoor shops where the vendors would either change the price of the item being purchased (after the money is in their hands) or simply not return the change, claiming that the price should have been the amount of the bill that was used to pay. In some cases it was necessary for the boys to pretend that the women were their wives, yes, wiveS, in order to pull them away from men who were proposing to them or offering to be their "guide."  

After touring the bank district and walking through the markets, we ate a nice pizza in a French restaurant and headed back to the streets for more haggling and bartering. It was interesting to return to the office at SIT and hear stories from the other groups. One group, upon realizing that their destination, the Theatre National de Senegal, was closed for Ramadan, asked a guard if there was any way they could see the inside. Not only did he allow them to enter from the back of the building, he dropped everything was doing to give them a tour of the complex. They were able to see a rehearsal for a play, President Wade's private box at the ballet, a rehearsal for a musical, and the private gallery. This is just the surface of the level of generosity in Senegal. Yes, at markets the vendors are pushy and even scary, but EVERY person one sees in public will say salutations unless they are on their mat praying. 

Here are a few more photographs from today's excursion;

The statue of the Senegalese soldier outside "le Senat"

The grand mosque in Centre-Ville. To comprehend the amazing size and stature of the mosque, know that this picture was taken from more than a mile away across the bay.

The restaurant Mawouli has a hole in the roof. No problem though, we'll just eat while holding our umbrella!
Ew! Is this real? Ew!

The cathedral in Centre-Ville. Senegalese will openly tell you that it is not important whether or not you are Christian or Muslim. Their conception of race and human blood is extremely unusual to me. Several people have approached me in the streets (without me asking them to) and told me that they encourage such diversity. This is relieving yet strange in a land where homosexuality is illegal and women have very few rights. This country is completely fascinating!!!!

Tomorrow I will move in with my host family, whose connection to an American celebrity I shall reveal in my next post.

A demain...

-Ryan

Wednesday morning. Breakfast.

This is the first time I've been truly tired since coming to sea level (but its worth it, of course!). Yesterday the group went to the SIT office for the first time. We had our first Wolof class, in which we learned the names and functions of several specifically African objects. I brushed my teeth with a branch of a special tree (Mom, dentistry here may or may not completely mortify you:) ) whose chemical makeup removes plaque from the teeth and helps to combat gingivitis. If you see a Senegalese (or West African) chewing a twig or scraping it against their teeth, this is a completely common practice here - its cheaper than a toothbrush and paste. 

We are all tired and rushing around like fools -  I will try to update with photos and a more coherent entry this afternoon. Until then...

-Ryan

Sleepless

Bon nuit!

Here in Dakar it is 5h. With all the excitement surrounding the arrival of the other students, its hard for anyone to fall asleep tonight. What a relief it has been to meet everyone else! I realize that we have yet to discover our differences, but the initial energy has been extremely positive. 

After everyone had put away their luggage, one of the Wolof-French teachers ordered pizza and we were 'oriented' about not drinking tap water, women not drinking/smoking in public, the taxi system, etc. Tomorrow, we are scheduled to go on an excursion through Dakar. As of now, I'm not sure what that entails; I suspect that they (SIT staff) will drop us off with a scavenger-hunt-spirited search of the city. I can only think to myself, "Please let my French be functional, please let my French be functional." 

French-speaking skill levels among the students varies. Some are fluent, some speak only a little French. Of course none of us speaks Wolof. I've picked up one phrase, though: Nanga def (pronounced with a hard g) is like saying hello.

More to come

Love, Ryan