A popular story is that the word "Senegal" is a combination of two Wolof words: sunu meaning “ours” and gaal, which means “boat.” Whether or not this is actually true, the fact that it is popular tells us that “being in the same boat” is important to Senegalese people. This is also demonstrated by the word terranga, which you may remember from the Field Note on Senegalese food. Many people translate terranga as “hospitality,” but it is much more than that.
Terranga describes an embracing of people who may be different than you. Not just giving them food, although that is part of it, terranga also entails sacrificing what you have for other people and working toward a common goal. Soon after I arrived in Senegal, I noticed some of my neighbors who were having trouble with their fishing nets. After asking if I could help, I jumped into the back-breaking work as we hauled giant nets from the sea and up to the beach. By the end we were dirty, sweaty, and covered with fish scales, but we had accomplished something together!
Another example of terranga is in the religion of Senegal. As you know, Senegal is about 95% Muslim. However, there are different kinds of Muslims in Senegal. People usually identify as Mouride, Tijane, Layenne or Qadiri.
