SOCIETY
SENEGAL – A “Royal Ndogou” offered by Christians to Muslims
By our special envoy in Dakar Amadou Thiam.
Senegal can boast of being a rather special country because of the tolerance, affection and singular love that exists between religions. Christians and Muslims have lived in perfect harmony for generations. In this month of Ramadan 2021, the Christians of the Facebook group “Let’s Go Out Senegal Officiel” were distinguished by distributing nearly 2,600 bags of food at the Liberté 6 district on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the time of the breaking of the fast, better known in the local language as “ndogou”. A gesture magnified throughout the country and which consolidates the perfect cohabitation between the two communities.
The members of the group “Let’s go out Senegal Officiel” with more than 130,000 members could be definitively named the group of the year. And for good reason, a “royal Ndogou” federated the members in this month of Ramadan. “Ndogous” were distributed to the Muslims. An action that taught a lesson of solidarity and tolerance to the whole world. A gesture that the organizers justified by the good relations that have always been maintained by both communities. Étienne Mamadou Ndour, the main initiator, said on his Facebook page that this initiative is the corollary of several months of joy, of joke, of great harmony with Muslims who are true friends. “What happened yesterday at the Freedom Roundabout 6 is a symbol of this union, it is a way of saying that this legacy we have received must be perpetuated. Shopkeepers and passers-by were all very happy to see us all taking communion during this month of Ramadan. These are rare manifestations of solidarity that we do not see in other countries but in Senegal the acceptance of the other is anchored in us.” , he explained.
It all started during the month of Lent, and the Muslim members of the group started posting their culinary outings in Séras, where they would eat grilled meat. They also published improved dishes that made Christian members savor. Lent passes and Ramadan arrives. The response is not long overdue. It is the remontada. The members of the Christian faith take over, it is their turn to go to Séras for the grilled meat that they broadcast in the group through a live. After days of face to face, to finish in beauty, the Christian members organize a “royal ndogou” for their brothers. A beautiful manifestation of their brotherhood. An individual sum of 1,000 FCFA was requested to organize this event. ” We wanted to make a real gesture for our Muslim friends and offer them ndogous. We launched a pool on the group, and we thank them for their collaboration. The idea delighted everyone. We received a lot of contributions,” Etienne Mamadou Ndour said.
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
Senegal is truly a specific model of understanding and harmony between Muslims and Christians. This symbolic and educational action takes place in a tense internal socio-political context. Recent demonstrations have caused fear of the worst. On the side of politicians, some are surfing on the notion of ethnicity to create divisions within Senegalese society. The people on their side, aware of the danger that this can produce, refuse to go in this direction. In this group made up of all layers of the Wolof population, squeeze, diola, manjak, peul, Muslim Christians, ceddo… The members wanted to cultivate this life together in the Senegalese so peaceful, so warm, so tolerant impregnated in a perfect Senegalese Teranga. This “Ndogou” is also a way to strengthen the social cohesion that already exists between the two main religious communities.
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel” @Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
However, all over the world, problems of ethnicity are often characterized by intercultural conflicts that can lead to racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism and sometimes deadly civil wars, In Senegal, it must be noted that neither communities, nor religious leaders, nor even the political class should promote this. This “Royal Ndogou” is a strong message to the whole country that embodies a singular model of cohabitation between Christians and Muslims which are the foundation of Islamic-Christian dialogue. A wealth that the Senegalese have in common, a treasure to erect at the monument of national preservation. In Senegal, Muslims represent more than 90% of the population.
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
@Page Facebook “Let’s Go sortir Sénégal Officiel”
SOCIETY
SENEGAL – Asma Khadija, a dynamic press officer of IBC INVEST
Asma Khadija! This name evokes a great personality in the Senegalese journalistic world. In fact, it is a hyperbright star in the field of communication in Senegal. Each morning, this charming journalist, armed with her radiant smile and vibrant voice, brightens our first day on the SEN TV morning show “Subaatel”. In addition to that, she is an actress and model. Aware of the aura that it could bring to their association, IBC Invest has attached its services and decided to make her their head of press relations. Basically, she is responsible for all international communication matters of the International Business Conseil Invest (IBC). Each interview is an opportunity to enhance the association’s image.
Asma, front line at IBC
Created in 2019, the International Business Council (IBC) promotes youth and women entrepreneurship, as well as social and solidarity economy. According to Asma Khadija, this association is much more than a network, as it offers African entrepreneurs a space for expression, training and networking with potential investors. As the press relations officer, she explains: “My role is to promote and highlight the activities of the association, notably through the Link Sunugal fair, a European initiative aimed at making African entrepreneurs known and connecting them to diaspora networks.” It aims to “sell the destination Senegal and connect local entrepreneurs with our diaspora.”
Senegal, a land of opportunities
“Senegal is a beautiful country where everything can be done,” says Asma. According to her, Senegal has “resources and talents; what we need now is the involvement of the diaspora for sustainable and prosperous development.” With IBC, she plans to contribute by encouraging young people to engage in training that will help them specialize and meet international challenges. She believes that Senegal could better combat illegal immigration by offering young people a serious alternative. In this sense, IBC, through her, has the mission to show young people that “Senegal can become the Eldorado our youth are looking for in Europe” and that “success is possible here.”
Asma, IBC Ambassador
Asma hopes that Link Sunugal can serve as a model for other countries in Africa, as it is meant to inspire the diaspora to invest in their homeland and build a better future. Embodying the determination and vision of a strong, united Africa, Asma, with IBC, is working to transform the dream of an engaged diaspora that contributes to the prosperity of an entire continent. According to her, “the financing is directed towards economic and productive projects, thus building a solid foundation for local entrepreneurs.” Asma believes that this tour, a first for IBC, represents a unique opportunity to create a sustainable network of exchanges, benefiting entrepreneurs and African communities.
EDUCATION
AVERROÈS – The first Muslim school under contract in France, is under threat
Founded 20 years after the ban on veiling in schools, Averroes, the first Muslim high school under contract in France, is threatened, with a favourable opinion on the termination of its contract with the State having been delivered Monday.
A consultative committee chaired by the Prefect of the North voted on Monday in favor of the termination of the association contract linking the State this Muslim school located in Lille, the big city of northern France, told AFP two sources close to the file, this Monday, November 27, 2023.
Under the terms of this contract, signed in 2008, the teachers of the school are paid by the National Education and the extracurricular staff by the Region. The last word now goes to the prefect, who must make his decision on the future of this contract “in the coming days”, said one of the two sources.
Since 2019, the local authorities have refused to pay the subsidy provided under this contract with the State, accusing Averroès of a Qatari donation of 950,000 euros in 2014.
In filigree is also pointed out the historical link of Averroes with the Muslims of France (ex-UOIF), organization stemming from the Egyptian movement of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The idea of creating a Muslim high school dates back to 1994, when 19 girls were excluded from a Lille public high school for refusing to remove their veil to go to school, despite a circular prohibiting “ostentatious religious signs”.
The Lycée Averroès opened in September 2003 with about fifteen students in the premises of the mosque of the working-class district of Lille-Sud, with the support of the UOIF.
With more than 800 students, including 400 under contract, Averroes remains by far the largest of the six Muslim institutions under contract in France. Only high school is recognized, not college.
ENVIRONMENT
LIBYA – Storm Daniel: The international community is organizing to send aid
Emergency services are trying to identify the number of victims caused by the passage of Storm Daniel, Sunday, September 10, 2023 on the east coast of the country. Torrential rains and the collapse of two dams led to the partial destruction of the city of Derna, which has a population of 100,000. The international community is organizing to provide emergency assistance.
Neighborhoods engulfed under water, dams that have broken, mudslides that take away buildings. The situation is dramatic in Libya, after the floods caused by storm Daniel last Sunday in the east of the country.
Libyan relief services under the Tripoli government, recognized by the international community, released a final human toll mid-day. According to their spokesman, Oussama Ali, the storm left at least 2,300 dead and 7,000 injured in the city of Derna alone, clearly the hardest hit.
The government of the East, rival to that of Tripoli, puts forward an even heavier record: it says that more than 5,200 people died in Derna. The Minister of Health even says he expects twice as many victims. The final toll remains very uncertain. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies remains cautious on the numbers, but recognizes a «huge» death toll that can be counted in thousands. There are an estimated 10,000 missing. There are also 65 other deaths in other cities in eastern Libya.
A IFRC official talks about humanitarian needs that far exceed the capabilities of the Federation, and even the government.
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