Students spending winter quarter studying West African literature and culture in Senegal

Fifteen Western students just completed three weeks in Senegal, where they were immersed in the study of West African literature and culture.

The Faculty-led Global Learning Program was led by WWU English Professor Christopher Wise and Program Coordinator Ablaye Diakite, who works with the Endangered Archive Project to digitalize West African Ajami manuscripts, affiliated with Boston University.

The group visited the capital city of Dakar, the Atlantic slave trade hub of Goree Island, the holy city of Touba, and the culturally significant cities of Saint-Louis and Alwaar, and the coastal resort cities of Saly and Mbour.

“Students study West African Sufism, griot epics, Medieval Songhay manuscripts from Timbuktu, modern West African novels, short stories, poems, and film,” Wise said. “We also tour different Senegalese universities, hear lectures from Senegalese professors, surf, swim in the ocean (it's ‘winter’ here, which means temperate, Maui-like weather), and visit animal reserves. We also heard African musical performances, eat Senegalese cuisine, etc.”

Click here to learn more about Western’s Faculty-Led Global Learning Programs.