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I recently went to a naming ceremony for my next door neighbor’s newborn. The ceremony in Wolof is called Ngente. There was an extreme amount of rice an even more people. I had never seen so many plastic chairs in my life. All the men were huddled to one side talking about something. But like most things in Wolof it seemed intense. I have been here for a while now so people know. Once everybody heard I was there I quickly became the center  of attention. I was bombarded by questions about life in the US. I kept up in French pretty well but kind of fumbled in Wolof but it was ok.

While we were talking and laughing the women were gathering around some turn tables under a tent made from an old promotional banner for Cadillac. When I was about to leave the States I would spend countless hours watching Sabar drumming and dancing online and be blown away by the artistry. But I knew sabar online couldn’t do sabar justice. Soon the music started and the women one by one started dancing. Sabar has a rich tradition in Senegal with women in particular. It is a means by which they express their sexuality. And I was told that men who can dance sabar, dance sabar but those who can’t don’t.

Different types of music spawn from Senegal: one is sabar, which is only drumming and another is mbalax, which has the same drums but is accompanied by other instruments. Mbalax is similar to Afro Beat from Nigeria. Youssou N’dour is the most famous mbalax artist in Senegal and probably the most famous artist in West Africa. I have been to two of his concerts and had the time of my life, but it was different then the music here.

I say that because the village is the root of the sound so the music and even the dances have a different swagger to them. As apart of my internship I will study with a Griot to learn the oral tradition and drumming of Senegal so I’m excited to start.

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My brother Aliou Leye is my mentor in Sangalkam. I feel lucky to have him looking out for me in the village. He works for the rural village of Sangalkam youth association.  In 2002 he started an organization called the Foyer des Jeunes. He started it in order to help students get into university, mentor them while through university, and then come up a detailed future plan for a career. When Aliou first started it consisted of over 10 students and now it involves 700 student which all the in community. Everyone in the village calls him “president.” Aliou has the entire 7th season of 24 on his computer and he always asks me about the 8^th season but I don’t watch the show. Sometimes I think that Aliou is Jack Bauer.  I have noticed the way that other official in the village don’t interact with the community the way that Aliou does. Aliou and I have a lot in common because I started a student organization also. It was called the student alliance for education. As right it is inactive but hopefully the group can be reassembled. Aliou and I have already talked about working together in the future.

Having Aliou as a mentor has eased the transition from the city to the village. I had my own preconceived notions about the differences between city to rural life but they didn’t apply here. Not only because its Senegal but also the village lifestyle still existence in Dakar despite the urbanization. In the States it’s not that because the city life is deeply ingrained in to the American culture.  Aliou has been a huge initial help because he explains things to me but doesn’t baby me. He would first let me make a mistake then explain the realities of why that can’t be done in the village. For example, when I first moved to Gorom 2, I was eager to meet everyone in the village. I moved to little too fast and ate at a few too many houses and stayed out just a little too late.  No one in the village had a problem with it. Then I talked Aliou about the reasons why doing too much here could have a negative impact for me. I think my favorite Aliou quote is “I know the village, you don’t know the village”. When he said that I know he wasn’t talking down to me he was just being real with me and I appreciated it. That helped put things in perspective for me. I can see me and Aliou being homies for a long time.

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Tabaski is most important holiday in the Muslim community. The reason for celebrating Tabaski comes from the Koran when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a test of his faith. Abraham took Ishmael to the top of Mount Kaba and was blindfolded. Before he could sacrifice his son, the angel Gabriel snatched Ishmel from Abraham and placed a sheep in his place. So now as part of the holiday every family kills a sheep.

This year I helped killed the sheep with my family. The sheep was delicious but while I was eating it I kept thinking about the abracadabra mentality that we have in the states towards food in the states. For example most meat eaters in the US have never killed an animal in their lives but we probably consume the most meat in the world! A lot of people have no idea where their food comes from. My friend Abdoulaye has a message for America about the importance of Tabaski and eating eat.

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The Giche. The words African and American have never carried so much weight as they did while I was on Goree Island. When I was in Dakar, I went to Goree alone because I knew that it would be a special experience for me and I knew that the fellows would respect that. I took a ferry to the island and when I was sitting on the boat I couldn’t stop thinking about my family and our history.

My father’s side of family has knowledge of our origins in America. A lot was retained orally. I know the slave port where my family comes from. It’s called Paris Island. Paris Island is a tiny port outside the Carolinas. The slaves on Paris Island were annexed to the mainland in the 20’s and it’s now a US Marines base. Paris Island like most slave ports carried over a lot of African culture despite enslavement. The culture and language that comes from Paris Island is called Giche. Almost all of my family down south is Giche and can some of the language. I take pride in being a fifth generation Giche and in knowing the history of not only my family but my people in general. Earlier this year I did some research on Paris Island and found that the slaves from that port originated from Mali, Senegal, Guinea and possibly Benin. Once I heard that GCY was sending me to Senegal I knew that it was going to be much more significant than just another “cross cultural” experience.

When the ferry was approaching the island I kept staring at it as a means for mediation trying to clear my head of all pre-conceived notions and expectations. The ferry docked and I got off and completely stunned by the beauty of the Goree. I found a guide and who was a friend of a friend. His name was Babacar he took me on a tour around the island. I learned many facts about Goree on the island. We had lunch and we talked about the challenges in Senegal and in Africa in general. After lunch we went to the “Maison des Esclaves” (house of slaves). I had read so many books about the conditions and treatment slaves but to actually be at one of the main ports where my ancestors were held was surreal. While I was there I walked through the holding cells and the “Door of No Return”.

That visit was huge for me it was the first time I ever felt African and American at the same time. Usually since I’m Black and live in America, I have to constantly be aware of race and, contrary to popular belief, racism isn’t over. We won’t eradicate racism until we deal with the realities that slavery is not far removed and the practices have taken on different forms in today’s world. Goree for me represents the birthplace of the duality of Black America that’s why the visit was so impactful for me. Every question and every answer was right there.

The rest of the day I walked around the island and talked to the locals (not the tourists) and was taken back by all positive energy on the island. I was humble in many way on Goree. But more than anything I was humbled by our human capacity to come to peace with reality and find ways to heal.

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Due to complications with my rural home stay I was able to stay in Dakar for another week. It was fine and I was willing to wait for my for home stay because I loved Dakar. Right after I got the news from Rachel I planned my week out. First thing I did was get in touch with my friend Mike, who has a program here where he brings inner city kids to Senegal. I went over his house for dinner and they invited me to the movies. I declined but he still had to pick up his family from the first showing. The theater was in a well off area. The closer we got the more affluent it became. This part of Dakar wasn’t apart of my notion Senegal yet. At the time it was hard to conceptualize Senegal without sand hugging either side of the road. Hanging and talking with Micheal  gave me a unique chance to see a different side of Senegal.

For the entire month of October I had French classes and I did ok, but with an extra week of french I was sure to improve. My teacher was Oumoul Sow and I couldn’t have wished for a better teacher and I became much better. Although I still get tripped up on the grammar I can put together a sentence and get my across. She told me that out of all the Senegalese mothers I have now and will come to have are temporary and she is my real Senegalese mother. I can agree with that because it take a real mama to be that patience with me in class.

The last few days of the week were spent with my family. I loved staying with them and they gave a lot of teranga (hospiltality). I missed my family and friends in Dakar but I’m excited to be with the new ones  in the village.