The Village

So this post doesn't really follow my adventure chronologically, but this is a reflection that I wrote about my first week-long trip to the Village of Geude Chantier (a very very very rural agricultural village in the desert of Northern Senegal). I was there about a month ago, I am going again next Friday for a week, and I will be there for three weeks in April. It is in this village that we are doing our Independent Study and Service Learning projects. Two other students and I are working on helping to design and implement and organic school garden (that will hopefully last indefinitely into the future). For this project I have to talk to experts and become an expert myself in the educational garden field (which includes becoming an expert in the inputs such as compost, seeds, plants, etc. that are effective for the region in which I am working). It's a lot of work and research, but it has been very rewarding thus far and will only continue to become more rewarding. We really don't have the time needed for such an ambitious project. But that's life. We will do our best to lay the groundwork for a long lasting educational garden.

Oh and you guys are gonna need to know that touba means "white person" in Senegal. And you guys should know that even though this reflection is somewhat critical, I had a incredible time in Guede Chantier!! The people were very welcoming and friendly. It was by far the most different place I have ever been. It really opened my eyes. It was a different lifestyle. It gave me a whole new definition of rural. No one speaks English. A lot of people don't speak French. I had to go fetch water in big jugs. I skinned a goat. I illegally crossed the Senegal River into Mauritania in a dugout canoe. Enjoy!:

“Touba, touba, touba, touba, touba!!!!!!!!!” This echoing word, along with the pattering feet of the ever present little boys and girls, has been forever branded in my memory. While this chanting may have sounded like a taunt, for the most part, the Guede Chantier children were simply excited to see this strange, white skinned mythical creature. However, there is an underlying negative connotation to these seemingly innocent screams that became apparent to me in other arenas of the village as well…

When we were all gathered in the small community meeting building with many of the village leaders I believe that it was Fatou Sec (the well respected lady who preserves vegetables and maintains the knowledge of many traditional recipes) who said that us outsiders should feel at home because this is “Our Community.” I found this statement quite uplifting and reassuring. I had been wondering how the community feels about a group of outsiders with 6 white American students coming into the community attempting to help solve a wide array of problems. According to Fatou Sec’s statement, it appeared very positive. However, as my stay in Guede Chantier continued, I realized that this was not always the case…

So here is where I describe the negative undertones. While my experience in Guede Chantier was overwhelming positive and full of friendly people, I also felt that I was not always taken seriously and that I was not seen as an equal member of the community. For example, Sydney, Youssouph, and I are working on the school garden project. First we talked to a teacher at the primary school who was previously implicated in the school garden. We then talked to a natural science and math teacher at the secondary school. What I found from both conversations was the sense that I was being talked down to. Both men definitely proved that they were quite knowledgeable about the local environment. Both men implied that they were more than capable in organic agricultural practices. And both men talked to me as if I was mainly the means for the materials they lacked. I felt that I was looked at as a tool, instead of a mechanic. That I was not there equal, but simply a naïve touba that may be able to help with money but not much beyond that. It was disheartening. I felt as an object in their plan, not as a collaborator.

But, I feel that there is hope. (I am Barack Obama). This hope comes from another experience that I had. One of the days, my host brother El Hajj and I were expressing our manly capabilities through taunts, jeers, and muscle flexing. Sooner than later, he ended up challenging me to a Senegalese wrestling match. I got pumped. He started to chuckle. He backed down saying that he would hurt me basically because I was a weak and inexperienced touba. So we sat back down, but continued to stare each other down (in a semi-joking manner). And finally, I got the moment I was waiting for…a chance to prove to this villager that I was not a weak touba!!! So we started at it, and to his surprise, I was much stronger than he had expected. He ended up winning (because my back touched the ground), but not before I had flipped him over and roughed him up more than he did to me. After the fact, he kept saying how impressed he was with me and that we would have to wrestle again next time. It was a glorious moment for me, because I went from being a weak touba to a strong village warrior (ok maybe not quite). But anyway, the point is that I was initially looked down upon, so I had to prove myself to gain respect. This is what gives me hope. Even though these school teachers look down upon me now, I will hopefully prove to them my commitment, knowledge, and fortitude so they will have know choice to view me as a community collaborator instead of an outside tool.