ndeup ceremony and beyond

So there are new adventures to tell as always, and some striking pictures to share (This one is of goats on the beach in Yoff Village, Dakar). Things are almost off the ground here with the planning of our research project, though we’re sort of on hold until Mike kicks the cold or sinus thing that he’s had for over a week now (but real bad just the last 2 days). Don’t worry, I’ve been pumping him (and me) full of water, juice, and fresh fruit (which isn’t difficult since it’s been about 90 degrees during the last few days). I think he’s almost better. I want us to have a working survey or instrument that we can start using by Friday, but at least by early next week.

We’ve been invited to go with some friends (that Mike knew from 5 years ago and who recognized him on the beach this week!) to Touba, for the annual pilgrimage there this weekend, which I’m sure would be fascinating. I luckily just got a long, Senegalese outfit, so I can cover up from head to toe (long skirts and head scarves are a must in Touba, which is a Mouride Muslim holy city about 4 hours from Dakar). But more on that next week.

As promised, I’ll begin with some pictures of the Ndeup ceremony that we attended in the village of Yoff the week before last. We went with our French psychologist friends from the hospital, with whom you can see Mike lounging on the beach. We thought that the ceremony was going to be for a mentally ill individual (mental illness is traditionally thought of in the spiritual realm in Senegal). The ceremony is meant to assuage the “rab,” or spirits of ancestors of the village who supposedly watch over, protect, and occasionally get angry at the living. If the individual does not carefully respect the rab he/she coexists with, which is always present within the individual and the family, it acts up and presents itself as a strong mental illnes, according to certain Wolof and Lebou beliefs (here I am paraphrasing from what I’ve been told and read). The ndeup ceremony allows the whole community to participate in the assuaging of the rab and the curing of the individual from his/her illness, which is really seen as the whole community’s responsibility. It involves the kosher killing of a bull (who takes on the burden of the angry rab and thus the individual’s mental illness) a lot of drumming and dancing, and the preparation of certain special foods. One of these is “chyakri”(sp?), which is lait calle- a sweet cultured milk like yogurt- with millet.

Instead of a ceremony to cure an individual, however, the ceremony we attended was for the entire village of Yoff, a neighborhood of Dakar that feels a lot more like a small village than a part of the capital city. There was a lot of anticipation in the air, and you can see people spilling out of windows, shops, and rooftops (well, not spilling exactly). Though there was no mentally ill individual, 4 bulls were slaughtered (we got front row seats in the splash section based on skin privilege- which I’m not sure was such a privilege in this case) and the meat was split up amongst everyone and eaten that afternoon with couscous.


When we came in the bulls were tied up in a pen, but after all the important people were seated and some drumming and singing happened, they were brought out. You can see the chiefs of the village in red robes and hats right in front of me, as well as the bull getting pulled into view in the background. In the next picture, a bull’s throat has been cut, and it is bleeding into a hole in the ground (this is the kosher way of killing an animal, as its nerves to feel pain are cut first and it dies faster- though watching it you wouldn’t necessarily think so! it was quite nauseating to see how much an animal of that size twitches and bleeds- ok I’ll stop with the details).

Anyhow,it was definitely an experience being there, and afterward we had lunch, watched this parade go by, and walked the beach for a bit (where i snapped pictures of these discarded pufferfish!). Once back in less-exciting Mermoz, where we're staying with our friend til the end of the month, we plotted other adventures. We had Prof N and her sons over for Indian food last Friday (thanks to my mom, who sent me a package full of Indian spices!! yay!!!). I cooked an elaborate 3 course meal composed of samosas, sag paneer and chana masala, and a fruit salad with a saffron-coconut-raisin sauce. it was good, if i say so myself :)

Actually, we spent the day with Prof N yesterday, talking about the project and helping her husband review grant proposals written in english (he's a sociology professor at another university in senegal). i read all about land, resources, and democratization in nigeria- seems like the government is really corrupt and that a lot of the "ethnic violence" in the area are really disputes over land and resources, which aren't being treated in the political arena cause the government has no interest in it, etc. interesting stuff. anyways, i'm off to yoga a bit. tout à l'heure!