Boukout (also called bukut or futampaf) is a Jola rite of passage practised in Ziguinchor, Senegal.
Boukout (also called bukut or futampaf) is a Jola rite of passage practised in Ziguinchor, Senegal.
There is evidence that this ritual has existed at least since the 12th century. Before the colonization, boukout was the only method of formal education in the area, preparing young men to take their place in society as well as teaching them how to defend it.
Organized by the elders who hold power over the other villagers and control all means of production, the ceremony provides initiates with political, economic, and religious independence. Until they have partaken in boukout, young people may not marry or receive land, and are somewhat excluded from the community. The uninitiated are not considered men, as boukout is seen to bestow masculinity.
The period between ceremonies can be lengthy, often lasting twenty years. When the ceremony took place in Baïla in August 2007, it had been 36 years since boukout had been performed. It is never known precisely when boukout will take place, although the event is announced by the elders two or three years before the fact, after having discovered a series of phenomena that constitute the necessary signs.
Preparations for boukout last several days, as future initiates, relatives, and residents of nearby villages gather in large numbers in the village. Members of the diaspora also take part, so that hundreds or even thousands of people are present. The event is accompanied by masked dances and various demonstrations of bravery. Finally, the heads of future inititiates are shaved.
The actual initiation takes place in private in a sacred wood. At one time, this secluded initiation period lasted several months, but the time has since been shortened significantly.
Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance and the Upper Casamance. The largest city of Casamance is Ziguinchor.
The Bambara are a Mandé ethnic group native to much of West Africa, primarily southern Mali, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal. They have been associated with the historic Bambara Empire. Today, they make up the largest Mandé ethnic group in Mali, with 80% of the population speaking the Bambara language, regardless of ethnicity.
The Casamance conflict is an ongoing low-level conflict that has been waged between the Government of Senegal and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) since 1982. On May 1, 2014, the leader of the MFDC sued for peace and declared a unilateral ceasefire.
The Jola or Diola are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region. The main dialect of the Jola language, Fogni, is one of the six national languages of Senegal.
Senegal is a multilingual country: Ethnologue lists 36 languages, Wolof being the most widely spoken language.
Aline Sitoe Diatta was a Senegalese heroine of the opposition to the French colonial empire, and a strong young female symbol of resistance and liberty. A Jola leader of a local religious group living in the village of Kabrousse, Basse Casamance, Diatta was one of the leaders of a tax resistance movement during World War II.
The Balanta are an ethnic group found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, Cape Verde and The Gambia. They are the largest ethnic group of Guinea-Bissau, representing more than one-quarter of the population. Despite their numbers, they have remained outside the colonial and postcolonial state because of their social organisation. The Balanta can be divided into six clans: Nhacra, Ganja (Mane), Naga, Patch, Sofar and Kentohe. The largest of which are the Balanta Kentohe.
Jola, also called Jola-Fonyi and Kujamataak, is a language spoken by 475,000 people in the Casamance region of Senegal, and neighboring countries. Jola-Fonyi is one of several closely related Jola languages spoken in the area.
Carabane, also known as Karabane, is an island and a village located in the extreme south-west of Senegal, in the mouth of the Casamance River. This relatively recent geological formation consists of a shoal and alluvium to which soil is added by accumulation in the branches and roots of the mangrove trees which cover most of the island. Along with the rest of Ziguinchor Region, Carabane has a tropical climate, cycling between a dry season and a wet season. The island was once considered an arid location where no useful plants were likely to grow, but it now supports several types of fruit tree, the most common of which are mangos and oranges. Although the nearby Basse Casamance National Park and Kalissaye Avifaunal Reserve have been closed for years because of the Casamance Conflict, Carabane has continued to attract ornithologists interested in its wide variety of birds. Various species of fish are plentiful around the island, but there are very few mammals.
Seleki is a village in Basse Casamance in the south of Senegal. The presence of cases à impluvium, typical of Jola architecture, greatly contribute to the reputation of the village.
Kagnout is a village in Casamance, Senegal. It is located near the left bank of the estuary of the Casamance River. It is part of the rural community of Mlomp, in the district of Loudia Ouoloff, the department of Oussouye and the region of Ziguinchor. Administratively, it is made up of three official villages: Cagnoute Bouhibane, Cagnoute Ebrouaye and Cagnoute Houyoho.
Kabrousse is a village in the rural community of Diembéring, Oussouye, Ziguinchor, Casamance, Senegal. It is a coastal village located a few kilometers south of Cap Skirring. In a straight line, it is the closest place in Africa to South America. About 2 km southeast of Kabrousse is the international border with Guinea-Bissau.
Baïla is a village in the rural community of Suelle, Sindian, Bignona, Ziguinchor, Casamance, Senegal.
Diembéring is a village in Senegal in the rural community of the same name. It is located in Cabrousse, Oussouye, Ziguinchor, Casamance, approximately 10 km north of Cap Skirring and 60 km from Ziguinchor.
Olga Francesca Linares was a Panamanian–American academic anthropologist and archaeologist, and senior staff scientist (emerita) at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, who supported much of her research throughout her career. She is well known for her work on the cultural ecology of Panama, and more recently in the Casamance region of Southern Senegal. She is also concerned with the social organization of agrarian systems as well as the relationship between "ecology, political economy, migration and the changing dynamics of food production among rural peoples living in tropical regions".
The Serer religion, or a ƭat Roog, is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog. In the Cangin languages, Roog is referred to as Koox, Kopé Tiatie Cac, and Kokh Kox.
The Ndut is a rite of passage as well as a religious education commanded by Serer religion that every Serer must go through once in their lifetime. The Serer people being an ethnoreligious group, the Ndut initiation rite is also linked to Serer culture. From the moment a Serer child is born, education plays a pivotal role throughout their life cycle. The ndut is one of these phases of their life cycle. In Serer society, education lasts a lifetime, from infancy to old age.
Religion and beliefs occupy an important place in the daily life of the nation of Senegal. The majority of citizens follow Islam. In 2013, 6% of the population followed indigenous beliefs, while 2% followed Christianity.
Ziguinchor is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of 214,874. It is the eighth largest city of Senegal, but is nearly separated from the north of the country by the nation of The Gambia.
Fatou Bintou Kandé Senghor is a Senegalese film director, writer, and photographer.