Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
International

A Festival Is A Festival! Muslim-majority Senegal Gets Into The Christmas Spirit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Dec, 2015 04:18 PM
    DAKAR, Senegal — After his morning prayers at the mosque, 25-year-old Mamadou Aliou Ba puts on his Santa suit, the padded belly protruding from his thin, tall frame, and goes to work. 
     
    He stands proudly, smiling from behind a snowy white moustache and beard that take over his face, waving to families walking by the supermarket in one of Dakar's wealthier neighbourhoods.
     
    Ba is one of many Pere Noels, or Father Christmases, seen in Senegal's capital this festive season. He, like the majority of Senegalese, is Muslim and yet celebrates Christmas.
     
    "Everyone, Christians and Muslims, celebrate Christmas here," he said, holding up a small bag of candies he gives out as gifts. "I like to do this work," Ba says, adding that he also enjoys the extra money.
     
    About 94 per cent of Senegal's 14 million people are Muslim, but Christmas is everywhere. Street vendors hawk tinseled garlands, blow-up Santas, Christmas trees and ornaments. Giant candy canes line the path to one mall where a sleigh sits in the tropical heat, and at an amusement park a large Santa Claus statue greets visitors.
     
    The prominence of the Christian holiday highlights that Senegal is a bright spot of tolerance and diversity in West Africa where many countries are divided by religion and ethnicity and where the threat of Islamic extremism is growing.
     
    Daouda Sow, 45, a Muslim businessman says he has a Christmas tree at home.
     
    "This is the culture in Senegal," he said. "It's very open, and it's different from our neighbours such as Guinea or Mali."
     
    Sow says he has celebrated the holiday since he was a child. "The two religions, we are in it together," he said, using a phrase common in Senegalese culture. "We are invited to celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas, and we invite Christians to celebrate our holidays with us." Members of the same families may also practice different religions, he said.
     
    This year is particularly special because the celebration of Moulid al-Nabi, the birth of the Prophet Muhammed, is followed just a day later by Christmas, said Bakary Sambe, an assistant professor at Gaston Berger university in St. Louis, on Senegal's northern coast.
     
    "The celebrations symbolize the uniqueness of Senegal, where we are a Muslim majority and where we have a special cohabitation between Muslims and Christians," said Sambe, also the head of the Observatory on Religions, Radicalism and Conflict in Africa.
     
    In Senegal, most Muslims belong to one of the Sufi brotherhoods, "which interpret Islam according to our social values in a peaceful way, based on education and tolerance. ... We have a critical assimilation of Islamic faith. We accept it as a faith, but we try always to harmonize between Islamic and local values," said Sambe.
     
    This has been a barrier against the Islamic extremism seen in neighbouring countries in West and Central Africa, said Sambe.
     
    Worries of extremism have caused Senegalese authorities to propose banning fireworks for New Year's Eve celebrations and some vendors have complained that less tolerance for public gatherings could hurt business.
     
    Senegalese of whatever faith get into the Christmas spirit of celebration.
     
    "For us, it's a night out!" said Ouli Sanokho, a 23-year-old who works at a call centre. "In fact, we celebrate the entire month," quickly adding that alcohol is not imbibed.
     
    Ashok Chellani said he is pleased to have a Santa in front of the supermarket he manages. He is Hindu and said he welcomes the month of celebration.
     
    "We are in this together," he said, adding that the Santa will be at his shop until Dec. 31. "A festival is a festival!"

    MORE International ARTICLES

    RCMP Alert To Swiss Reports Of Alleged Plots Targeting Canadian Cities

    OTTAWA — The RCMP says media reports from Switzerland about possible threats against Canadian cities are being taken very seriously.

    RCMP Alert To Swiss Reports Of Alleged Plots Targeting Canadian Cities

    For Toronto MP Arif Virani, Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A Moment For Personal Reflection

    OTTAWA — In 1972, Toronto MP Arif Virani's family stepped off a plane into a cold October day in Montreal with nothing more than two suitcases.

    For Toronto MP Arif Virani, Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A Moment For Personal Reflection

    Donald Trump Muslim Policy A Winner With GOP Voters, Loser With Americans: Poll

    WASHINGTON — A winner amongst Republicans and a big loser with the general public: according to a new poll, that's the apparent net effect of Donald Trump's controversial plan for a ban on Muslim travel.

    Donald Trump Muslim Policy A Winner With GOP Voters, Loser With Americans: Poll

    Gay Iranian Poet Payam Feili, Fleeing Persecution In Iran, Comes On Dream Visit To Its Archenemy Isr

    Gay Iranian Poet Payam Feili, Fleeing Persecution In Iran, Comes On Dream Visit To Its Archenemy Isr
    Payam Feili fled his native Iran last year because of the persecution he faced over his sexuality. Now, the gay poet has made a years-long dream come true — he is visiting Israel, Iran's archenemy and a country known for its tolerance toward gays.

    Gay Iranian Poet Payam Feili, Fleeing Persecution In Iran, Comes On Dream Visit To Its Archenemy Isr

    Body Found In Grenada, But Police Have Not Linked It To Missing Canadian

    Body Found In Grenada, But Police Have Not Linked It To Missing Canadian
    Assistant Supt. Sylvan McIntyre of the Royal Grenada Police Force says they do not have a positive identification of the body, and he couldn't say whether the family of Linnea Veinotte has been notified.

    Body Found In Grenada, But Police Have Not Linked It To Missing Canadian

    US Muslim Women, Amid Anti-muslim Furor, Trade Hoodies For Hijabs; Flock To Self-Defence Class

    US Muslim Women, Amid Anti-muslim Furor, Trade Hoodies For Hijabs; Flock To Self-Defence Class
    Sites for Muslim women are offering safety tips for people who feel they're at risk. They're recommending trading hooded sweatshirts for the headcovering known as the hijab, or carrying pepper spray.

    US Muslim Women, Amid Anti-muslim Furor, Trade Hoodies For Hijabs; Flock To Self-Defence Class