Saint-Louis Demb: A Glimpse Into Yesterday, A Perspective for Today

Abstract

During my research for this project, the idea that Senegal is a society which reflects a blending of beliefs and traditions continued to surface in the books that I read That, I decided must be the key to the theme of this project. I began to think back to my conversation with the European man in Cap Skirring. Yes, I could see, the French have made an impressionable mark upon some of the "surface" features of Senegal -the language, the fashions, the government and educational structures -even the preferred breakfast of many of the people -but Senegalese society have remained profoundly intact. Then I realized something one cannot always view a society as an isolated and "pure" body. We live in a modern world, where cultures have blended through centuries of contacts made between peoples. Consequently, our world is a pretty small place these days. One must therefore look seriously at a society to understand it, considering its history and contacts with other peoples. One must look beyond its "surface features." One must also accept the belief that cultures can blend -beliefs, traditions, morals, languages, religions.