Countries · Dakar
Senegal
Griot traditions, Sufi scholarship and Atlantic cities meeting in one of West Africa's great cultural crossroads.
Senegal surrounds The Gambia on three sides, and much of the cultural knowledge on both sides of the border belongs to the same families and languages. Kankurang masquerade traditions, Mandinka initiation practices and Wolof praise-singing all cross that line.
Our collection here begins with the communities closest to the Gambian archive, then works outwards to Dakar, the Sine-Saloum delta and the Casamance.
Main languages
Wolof · Serer · Fula · Mandinka · Jola · Soninke
Places in focus
Dakar · Saint-Louis · Sine-Saloum Delta · Ziguinchor
General cultural context; verified records are added community by community.
Kankurang
The Mandinka initiatory rite and masquerade practised in Senegal and The Gambia is inscribed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Griot lineages
Families of hereditary historians and musicians hold genealogies, praise poetry and the memory of pre-colonial states.
Delta and coast
Shell mounds, fishing calendars and salt harvesting in the Sine-Saloum carry knowledge about the sea and the seasons.
Senegal on the map
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From the archive
Senegal
From the community
Contributed to Senegal
Submissions from contributors, published after cultural review.
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Did You Know?
Short facts, objects and traditions from the archive. Tap a card to read the full entry and its source.