1. MTSU-Study Abroad-Senegal Program With Participation of Senegal Cultural Tours

2. The Country: Geography The country, slightly smaller than South Dakota, surrounds Gambia on three sides and is bordered on the north by Mauritania, on the east by Mali, and on the south by Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Senegal is mainly a low-lying country, with a semi desert area in the north and northeast and forests in the southwest. The largest rivers include the Senegal in the north and the Casamance in the southern tropical climate region.

3. The Country: History The Toucouleur people, among the early inhabitants of Senegal, converted to Islam in the 11th century, although their religious beliefs retained strong elements of animism. The Portuguese had some stations on the banks of the Senegal River in the 15th century, and the first French settlement was made at St.-Louis in 1659. Gorée Island became a major center for the Atlantic slave trade through the 1700s, and millions of Africans were shipped from there to the New World. The British took parts of Senegal at various times, but the French gained possession in 1840 and made it part of French West Africa in 1895. On June 20, 1960, it formed an independent republic federated with Mali, but the federation collapsed within four months. Although Senegal is neither a large nor a strategically located country, it has nonetheless played a prominent role in African politics since its independence. As a black nation that is more than 90% Muslim, Senegal has been a diplomatic and cultural bridge between the Islamic and black African worlds. Senegal has also maintained closer economic, political, and cultural ties to France than probably any other former French African colony.

4. Political History Senegal's first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, towered over the country's political life until his voluntary retirement in 1981. He resigned after 20 years and let his protégé, Abdou Diouf became the president. Diouf, who led the country for the next 20 years, initiated further economic and political liberalization, including the sale of government companies and permitting the existence of political parties. In March 2000, opposition party challenger Abdoulaye Wade won 60% of the vote in multiparty elections. Diouf stepped aside in what was hailed as a rare smooth transition of power in Africa. In Jan. 2001, the Senegalese voted in a new constitution that legalized opposition parties and granted women equal property rights with men. Despite constitutional term limits, President Wade ran for a third term in 2012. His decision sparked violent protests that threatened to destabilize the country. Wade lost decisively in the second round in March to former prime minister Macky Sall.

5. MTSU Study Abroad/SENEGAL Duree of the visit: – 17 days – December-January Geographical Sites to visit: – Dakar – Saint Louis – Touba – Joal Fadiouth

6. Dakar: the City Dakar is the capital and largest city of the country and former French West African colonies capital too. It is located on the Cap Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland. Its position, on the western edge of Africa, is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional port. According to December 31, 2005 official estimates, the city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 2.45 million people. DISCUSSION 1: African Urbanization; Overpopulation and Lack of infrastructures

7. Dakar: Goree Island Île de Gorée: "Gorée Island"; is a 45 acres island located 1.2 miles at sea from the main harbor of Dakar. Its population as of 31 January 2005 official estimates is 1,056 inhabitants, giving a density of 15,028 inhabitants per sq. mile. Gorée is famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic Slave Trade but relatively few slaves were processed or transported from there. The more important centres for the slave trade from Senegal were north, at Saint-Louis, Senegal, or to the south in the Gambia, at the mouths of major rivers for trade DISCUSSION 2: African Slave Trade

8. Dakar: Cheikh Anta Diop University Cheikh Anta Diop University (Université Cheikh Anta Diop or UCAD), also known as the University of Dakar. – It is named after the Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000 In 1918, the French created the African medical school, mostly to serve white and Métis students but also open to the small educated elite of the four free towns of Senegal (Dakar, Goree, Rufisque and Saint Louis) with nominal French citizenship. In 1936, Dakar became home to the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN), an institute for the study of African culture. In 1957, a new campus was constructed as the 18th French Public University, attached to the University of Paris and the University of Bordeaux. This became the University of Dakar the largest and most prestigious university in French West Africa. In 1987, its name was changed to honor the Senegalese philosopher and anthropologist, Cheikh Anta Diop. DISCUSSION 4: MTSU and UCAD students: Education Systems: MTSU/UCAD comparative Analysis

9. Dakar: Lake RETBA or The Pink Lake Lake Retba or Lac Rose “Pink Lake” lies north east of Dakar. The lake is also known for its high salt content, which allows people to float easily. Many salt collectors work 6–7 hours a day in the lake. In order to protect their skin, they rub their skin with "Beurre de Karité" or shea butter, (produced from shea nuts obtained from the Shea nut tree), which is an emollient used to avoid tissue damage. Michael Danson, an expert in extremophile bacteria from Bath University, said: “Lake Retba in Senegal looks like a giant strawberry milkshake. The strawberry colour is produced by salt-loving organism Dunaliella salina. They produce a red pigment that absorbs and uses the energy of sunlight to create more energy, turning the water pink.” DISCUSSION 3: The Issue of Unemployment in Africa

10. Saint Louis Saint-Louis is located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Dakar. Saint-Louis was established in 1659 by French traders on an uninhabited island called Ndar. It was baptized Saint-Louis-du-Fort in homage to the French king Louis XIV. It was the first permanent French settlement in Senegal. Saint-Louis was the capital of the French colony of Senegal from 1673 until 1902. From 1920 to 1957 Saint Louis also served as the capital of the neighboring colony of Mauritania. DISCUSSION 6: Colonial Africa

11. On Our Way to Saint Louis: Thies the French Railroad system Thies lies 72 km east of Dakar and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako (Mali) and St-Louis. At first a simple rail stop, or "escale", on the Dakar-Saint Louis line (completed in 1885) Thiès became a rail junction with the Dakar- Niger line (built 1906-1923). The national network of paved roads created after WWII likewise converged on Thiès, which thus commands nearly all access to the Cap Vert Peninsula (Dakar and Rufisque) Visit of the Baobab Cemetery DISCUSSION 5: African Traditional Regions or Indigenous Religious Practices (BUS)

12. Saint Louis: The Fisherman Village The Senegal River acts as part of the border between Senegal and Mauritania. It separates a thin strip of land called the “Langue de Barbarie” (Tongue of Barbary). Here salt water from the sea and fresh water from the river mix resulting in a both a positive and negative environment for the fishermen of Guet Ndar, a fishing village within the city of St. Louis. The young men of the village set out in pirogues, or a dugout-type of boat, into the Atlantic each morning to fish. As they return in the afternoon, families and salesmen converge to make deals on the catch of the day. DISCUSSION 7: The Issue of Modern Migration in the Fisherman’s village; The Concept “Barcelona or Barssa”

13. Saint Louis: Djoudj Bird Sanctuary Situated in the Senegal River delta, north east of Saint Louis. The Djoudj Sanctuary is a wetland of 16,000 ha, comprising a large lake surrounded by streams, ponds and backwaters. It forms a living but fragile sanctuary for some 1.5 million birds, such as the white pelican, the purple heron, the African spoonbill, the great egret and the cormorant. LUNCH with Senegalese family In Saint Louis after the Park visit DISCUSSION 8: Senegalese Family Structure and concept

14. Saint Louis: Université Gaston Berger Université Gaston Berger (UGB), located 7.5 miles outside Saint-Louis, was the second university established in Senegal. It was renamed for Gaston Berger, an important French-Senegalese philosopher, on December 4, 1996. Who was born in Saint-Louis and was the father of Maurice Béjart. Maurice was a French-born Swiss dancer, choreographer and opera director who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. Nonetheless, the University is often referred to as the University of Saint-Louis, just as UCAD is often referred to as the University of Dakar DISCUSSION: African Youth and Politics

15. Touba: Muslim Holy City in Senegal Cheikh Amadou Bamba (1853-1927) founded Touba in 1887. The holy site remained a tiny, isolated place until his death 40 years later. The Great Mosque was finally completed in 1963 and since the city has grown from under 5,000 inhabitants in 1964 to 529,000 in 2007. Touba is the holy city of Muridism. Life is dominated by Muslim practice and Islamic scholarship. A major annual pilgrimage Grand Magal, attracts between 1 and 2 million people from all over Senegal and beyond (Europe and America). DISCUSSION 9: Islam in Sub- Saharan Africa

16. Going to Joal Fadiouth: the Bandia Animal Reserve The Bandia wildlife reserve is a real ecological jewel in the crown of Senegal. It has succeeded in reintroducing much of the marvelous native flora and of some of Africa’s best loved animals. Many of which had gradually disappeared, some of them centuries ago, due to demographic pressure and poaching. Bandia lies 65km from Dakar and 15km from Saly Portugal (the seaside resort town on the “Petite Côte”) on the main road (N1) to Mbour and Casamance

17. Joal - Fadiouth Joal-Fadiouth is a village at the end of the Petite Côte of Senegal, south-east of Dakar. Joal lies on the mainland, while Fadiouth, linked by a bridge, lies on an island of clam shells, which are also used in local architecture and crafts. The village has no motorized transport evidenced by the sign on entering. It has large Christian and Muslim populations with cemeteries on another shell island. Another attraction is granaries on stilts in the water DISCUSSION 10: Christianism in Africa and religious cohabitation: Joal Fadiouth Village