African scholars, such as Dr. Nwoye, have described grieving in African societies as a community process, where there is just as much emphasis placed on the deceased’s role within the community as there is on supporting their loved ones.
Mandela Revisited:
Do not Sanitize your heroes they were once Villains
There is a tendency in dominant discourses to make radical historical figures palatable to a larger public by showcasing only some of their views over others. This allows society to elevate these people to the status of a “hero” without internalizing the politics or issues they were advocating for. The way we see famous figures is an artifact of time. …
Lessons from a Sénégalese Polygot
No matter where we come from, languages are the tools by which we gain access to communities. Omar shared with us how growing up in Sénégal naturally made him into a polyglot.
How Wolof became the dominant language in Sénégal.
As I walked through the streets of Dakar in Sénégal, I heard the whispers of Wolof all around me: Na nga def, mangi fi rekk, toubab. The words all blended together to my untrained ears. As a foreigner, I’d wrongfully expected to hear French, since Sénégal is a former colony of France. I later appreciated that the local language of the Wolof people was thriving here, unerased by the forces of colonization.
