Religion in Senegal
Religion and beliefs occupy an important place in the daily life of the nation of Senegal. The majority of citizens follow Islam (mainly Sunni Islam). In 2013, 6% of the population followed indigenous beliefs (mainly Serer), while 2% followed Christianity (principally Catholicism).[2]
The constitution provides for freedom of religious beliefs and self-governance by religious groups without outside interference.[3]
Major religions in Senegal
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Islam
About 97% of the Senegalese population is Muslim, and many denominations of this faith are practised. Approximately 1% of the Muslim population practices Ahmadiyya. Though mainstream Muslims see Ahmadis as heretic.[9] Sufism is represented in Senegal by the following brotherhoods: Tijanism, Mouridism, Qadiriyya, and Layenism. More recently, the NabyAllah movement has emerged and constructed the Mosque of the Divinity in Ouakam.
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Shia Islam is the dominant religion among the Lebanese community of Senegal. Since the 1970s, the number of native Senegalese Shi'i Muslims has been growing significantly. They belong to organizations such as Mozdahir.[10][11]
Christianity
Primarily found in the west and south of Senegal,[3] particularly in the Casamance region, they are also found in the large cities, such as Dakar and Saint-Louis. Senegalese Christians have a site of pilgrimage at Popenguine.[12] The Dakar Cathedral was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century by father Daniel Brottier, founder of the Orphelins Apprentis d'Auteuil.
Protestantism is equally represented, among others, by the Protestant Church in Senegal.
Traditional African religions
Traditional African religions like the Serer religion (A ƭat Roog) are adhered to by devout worshippers of Roog – the supreme deity in Serer religion.[15][16][17] The Serer ethnic group who adhere to the tenets of Serer religion (including those Senegalese who syncretize) honour the Serer pangool and have ancient rituals and festivals devoted to them. The religious affairs of Serer religion devotees are usually headed by the Saltigue (the Serer priestly class) which in ancient times was the preoccupation of the Serer lamanic class.[18][19] Some of these religious festivals or ceremonies include the Ndut (rite of passage), Xooy (divination festival once a year in Fatick), and the Raan festival. Senegalese hold several ancient beliefs, such as small efforts of 'thanks' or demands, such as protection from water. They also place great importance on the Baobab tree, which is known as the "House of the Spirits." The baobab tree along with other sacred trees figure prominently in the Serer creation narrative.[20] Among the Jola people, some religious festivals include the Samay, Kumpo and the Niasse.
Youth religiosity in Senegal
This article possibly contains original research. (December 2013) |
Religion is an integral part of daily life in Senegal, and this occurs very differently for adults and youths.
Changes in religiosity
A notable sign of changing generational levels of religiosity is how youth have changed their interactions with the national political system.
On the other hand, many Senegalese youth movements have centered on increasing the role of religion in political systems, particularly at the university level. Many student organizations have been created to attempt to promote these traditional values to Senegalese public life and politics. These groups include the Hizbut-Tarqiyyah, and the Association Musulmane des Etudiants d'Afrique Noire (AMEAN).[24] Throughout the 1960s and 70s this upturn in religiosity was seen through the building of new mosques, and an increase in attention on Islamic organizations and news publications.[25]
These movements have many sources of inspiration, some local and some international. Scholars have claimed that it is sometimes a lack of access to resources that drive youth to use religion as a source of empowerment, as well as a justification for violence in certain instances.
The existing literature about youth religiosity politics in West Africa focuses on males, since they tend to dominate roles of religious authority in Muslim structures. This bias makes it even more difficult to make any generalizations about youth religiosity, since it would frequently be disregarding the sentiments of a large portion of the population. But it is apparent that religion serves a very different function for youth of this generation than it did for the previous one, in a pattern that was certainly passed down from the one before.[25]
See also
- Demographics of Senegal
- Islam in Senegal
- Roman Catholicism in Senegal
- Religion in the Gambia
References
- ^ "Religions in Senegal 2020 | PEW-GRF".
- ^ "Africa Guide website, Senegal People and Culture (2013)".
- ^ a b United States Department of State 2021 report on Senegal
- CIA World Factbook: Senegal" (2019 estimates) [1](retrieved 15 April 2024)
- ISBN 0-8047-2999-9. p. 27.
- ^ Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International
- ^ Berkley Center, "Country Mapping: Senegal." [2] (retrieved 15 April 2024)
- ^ Johnson, Marloes, "Chapter 36: Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa." SOAS, University of London (2017), pp. 15-17 (PDF)
- ^ "The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity" (PDF). Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. August 9, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ Leichtman, Mara A. (2016). Interview on book with ISLAMiCommentary, a Public Scholarship Forum Managed by the Duke Islamic Studies Center. Transcultural Islam Research Network.
- ^ Leichtman, Mara A. (2015). Shi‘i Cosmopolitanisms in Africa: Lebanese Migration and Religious Conversion in Senegal Archived 2019-12-15 at the Wayback Machine. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, Public Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa series.
- ^ Brothers of Saint John website, Priory in focus: Poponguine in Senegal
- ISBN 0-660-15965-1
- ISBN 2-7236-1055-1
- ^ Thiaw, Issa Laye, "La Religiosite de Seereer, avant et pendant leur Islamisation" [in] Ethiopiques n° 54, revue semestrielle de Culture Négro-Africaine, Nouvelle série, vol 7, 2e Semestre (1991)[3] Archived 2019-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mwakikagile, Godfrey, "The Gambia and its People: Ethnic Identities and cultural integration in Africa." p. 133
- ISBN 0761444815
- ^ Galvan, Dennis Charles, "The State Must Be Our Master of Fire: How Peasants Craft Culturally Sustainable Development in Senegal", Berkeley, University of California Press (2004), pp 53, 185
- ^ Sarr, Alioune, "Histoire du Sine-Saloum", Introduction, bibliographie et notes par Charles Becker, BIFAN, Tome 46, Serie B, n° 3-4, 1986–1987. p.31
- ^ Thiaw, Issa laye, "Mythe de la création du monde selon les sages sereer", pp. 45−50, 59−61 [in] "Enracinement et Ouverture" – "Plaidoyer pour le dialogue interreligieux", Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (23 and 24 June 2009), Dakar [4]
- ^ JSTOR 1581799.
- JSTOR 485240.
- ^ Diouf, Mamadou. "Urban Youth and Senegalese Politics: Dakar 1988-1994." Political Culture 8 (1996): 225–49. JSTOR. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.
- ^ S2CID 144635330.
- ^ S2CID 144659380.
Notes
Further reading
- Cox, Pamela; Kessler, Richard. "'Après Senghor'--A Socialist Senegal?" African Affairs, Vol. 79, No. 316 (July 1980), pp. 327–342
- "La tolérance religieuse, reflet de l'aspiration d'une nation à la démocratie : dans la vie et l'œuvre de quatre auteurs sénégalais : Birago Diop, Cheikh Anta Diop, Léopold S. Senghor, Abdoulaye Sadje," Fondation Konrad Adenauer, 2007, 65 p.
- Markovitz, Irving Leonard. "Traditional Social Structure, the Islamic Brotherhoods, and Political Development in Senegal." The Journal of Modern African Studies 8.01 (1970): 73. Print.