Batik, djembe drums and Zeinixx, Culver instructors dive into Senegal culture

 

Culver Academies French instructors Anastasia Beeson ’94 SS’93 and Cory Barnes got much more than they expected when they journeyed to Senegal for two weeks this summer to immerse themselves in the culture of the West African country once colonized by France.

They practiced their French, they created batik cloths, they sat on the floor of a woman’s home and enjoyed a meal from a communal bowl, they had students volunteer to give them a tour of a university when their guide didn’t show and they were brought to tears while visiting Gorée Island, where millions of slaves passed through on their way to being sold in Europe and the Americas.

They also had a bus breakdown that caused them to be late for a ferry they were scheduled to take. So they were fully immersed in seeing what living in Senegal is like for the people who live there. It truly was an educational experience.

“There will be elements of this trip that we’ll weave into everything we do,” said Barnes, chairperson of Culver’s World Language and Culture program.

They wanted to go to Senegal because the goal of Culver’s program is to foster a culture of global awareness and help students become better world citizens. That involves teaching students that there are vast French-speaking cultures outside of France. More than 60 percent of the people who speak French daily live in Africa because France colonized much of West Africa.

Barnes and Beeson said the French spoken in Senegal is the same as it is in France except with a different accent. They said the Wolof language also is spoken in Senegal and Wolof expressions sometimes are included in the French there just as French expressions are sometimes used in English here. It may seem cliché to say that, but c’est la vie.

While they were excited to work on their French skills, the most important part of the trip was immersing themselves in Senegalese culture so they can understand it and share that with Culver students.

“It’s more meaningful to students when they know it’s something that we’ve seen and we didn’t just look it up on Google,” Beeson said.

Barnes described Senegal as incredibly welcoming.

“I think if you asked the Senegalese to tell you what Senegal is like, they would say: ‘We are all one,’ ” Barnes said. “It’s a philosophy the country shares.”

Beeson said the Wolof word for it is “nio far,” which means “we are together.”

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” Beeson said.

“Just the deep, deep sense of respect and solidarity that people who come from very, very different backgrounds, different languages, different religions have for one another and us as foreigners was really inspiring.”

 

She said the country of Senegal is more diverse than it first appears because it is made up of so many tribes, different languages and different religions, although it is predominantly Muslim.

Senegal is one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. It has never had trouble with tribal conflicts, religious conflicts or coups d'état, Beeson said.

“This philosophy of ‘nio far’ permeates deeply into the culture and creates a stable place,” Beeson said.

It is a feeling that Culver Academies is trying to capture this year with its theme of “e pluribus unum,” or “out of many, one,” as a way of encouraging civil discourse when it comes to talking about divisive political issues.

Barnes said one of the most intriguing places they visited in Senegal was Fadiouth Shell Island, where the roads and paths are made of clamshells. It is famous for its cemetery where Muslims and Christians lie buried side-by-side and people from both religions live in peace as neighbors

“They were proud of that,” Barnes said.

Barnes and Beeson said it appeared they were going to miss a chance to tour Universite de Theis when their guide didn’t show because of illness. But au contraire. Instead, a group of students offered to be their guides.

“That was in my opinion one of the richest experiences because it was unscripted,” Beeson said.

She said they showed them small dorm rooms with bunk beds and mattresses on the floor where eight to 10 students lived.

“They were really making sacrifices to pursue their education. It was inspiring to see how hard they worked and how intelligent and engaging they were,” Beeson said. “They were amazing representatives.”

They also visited a boarding high school so they can show Culver students what it is like to live at school in another country.

Barnes said the most powerful part of the trip was going to Gorée Island, where slaves passed through on their brutal journey to the Americas. Pope John Paul II visited in 1992 and apologized for the slave trade and asked for forgiveness for all who had taken part in slavery. The historic House of Slaves was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 as a symbolic reminder of human exploitation, the agency said.

“I didn’t take any pictures of the slave house because it felt disrespectful to do so. But it’s etched in my brain forever,” Barnes said.

She said there was at one time 27 slave houses on the small island.

“It was very emotional,” Beeson said.

Beeson said she was one of three teachers on the trip who had ancestors who passed through Gorée Island or someplace similar. She said all three went there looking for “something.”“We went looking for a connection or answers. It was very powerful,” Beeson said. “The three of us were crying.”

Beeson said that one of the other two, a woman named Danielle, said: “The sense that I got was that was like being able to tell my ancestors ‘It’s OK. We made it. All those deaths and those sacrifices … We made it.’ ”

“It was very, very painful and cathartic at the same time,” Beeson said.

Barnes said because she is not multiracial like Beeson she had a different reaction, but it still brought out strong emotions because she is married to a Black man.

“So his people came from there, too, and my children are descendants,” she said.

 

 

On the first day in Senegal they stayed at Hotel Sobo Bade in the town of Toubab Dialow, about an hour south of Dakar. Beeson described it as more of an art colony, which she said reminded her of her native Haiti.

“I started tearing up because it was so similar to the places that I had grown up with,” she said. “I talked to our guide and he said this wasn’t typical décor and architecture, but a Haitian had come over to Senegal in the mid-’60s and created that space.”

They learned to play djembe drums, how to make batik by using dye and hot wax to create a tie-dye type pattern on fabric that is widely used in Senegal for women’s clothing.

“It was a lot of fun,” Barnes said.

Beeson said she brought back fabric from Senegal she plans to use to teach her French II students how to make batik during a unit on clothing. She also can tell students about how Senegal is known for its “Dakar Fashion Week.”

“Which I was already talking about in class, but I feel like I’m coming back with a few more resources to talk about what African fashion means,” Beeson said.

She’s also plans to share photos of Senegalese food and she brought back leaves so she can make a special tea.

More importantly, Beeson said, is teaching students how people eat in Senegal. She talked about how when they went to the home of a woman who made a huge amount of food and how they sat on the floor eating from one large communal bowl.

“We’ll talk about how this reflects culture,” Beeson said. “What is the difference between sitting by yourself with a plate and your fork and each individual portion vs. we’re all sitting together around a communal bowl?’ ”

They also talked with Zeinixx, Senegal’s first female professional graffiti artist who advocates for woman’s rights.

“So, I’ll be able to really get away from only teaching about French artists, even though I have a passion for it, (and) also be able to infuse some street art,” Barnes said.

They also met Modou Fall, who wears multicolored clothing made of plastic bags, and is known as “Plastic Man” because of his campaign against plastic pollution.

“So we can use concrete examples of people we’ve met and places we’ve been to,” Beeson said.