Unit 1: Dame Diané

Videos
Community Images
Pedagogical Activities

Metadata

TitleConversation with Dame Diané  
InterviewerFallou Ngom
SubjectAcquisition of Wolof Ajami literacy, Quranic studies, poetry, advertising, communication, marketing, current events, illegal immigration
ContentDame Diané (or Daan Jaane in the standard Wolof Latin script spelling) belongs to the young generation of African Ajami poets. He is also a Quranic teacher in Touba, Senegal. He was born in 1986 in the city of Rufisque (called Tëngéej in Wolof), where he started his Quranic studies. Besides serving as a Quranic teacher, his professional activities include moderating conferences and public lectures, serving as a Master of Ceremony at Quranic recital events, advertising the products of local companies and entrepreneurs in Ajami texts and videos clips, and announcing and broadcasting events to the larger public in Wolof Ajami. He also composes Wolof Ajami poems, both on religious and   current social issues such as illegal immigration. In the interview with Professor Ngom, Mr. Diané described his experience in the local Quranic education system, including having to write two complete copies of the Quran from memory as part of his graduation requirement. His Ajami writing skills came through interpersonal communication such as writing letters to his friends and parents and through reading classical and religious texts in Ajami. In the interview, Mr. Diané also reflected on his current role as an educator. Besides teaching the Quran and literacy to his pupils, his activities also include educating children about current events and ongoing social and political issues that their country faces. Mr. Diané finished the interview by citing his recent poem on immigration, reflecting on the causes and consequences of ongoing migration from Senegal to Morocco and Spain, with people crossing the Atlantic Ocean in fishing boats. 
LanguageWolof
ScriptWolof Ajami (locally called Wolofal)
LocationTouba, Senegal
Pedagogical content/applicationIncludes relevant linguistic, stylistic and cultural skills as identified in our assessment guidebook/ ACTFL guidelines
Access condition and copyrightThese materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For use, distribution or reproduction beyond these terms, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu).
ContributorsFallou Ngom, Ablaye Diakite, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Gana Ndiaye, Alison Parker and Frank Antonelli.
Required citation informationFallou Ngom (PI), Ablaye Diakite, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, and other contributors. 2023. “Conversation with Dame Diané.” https://sites.bu.edu/ria/wolof/wolof-unit-1/

Videos

Wolof with English Subtitles

Wolof with Latin Script Subtitles

Community Images

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  • Saam Ñaŋ a ngi taxaw ci buntu ab jaaykatu téere ca Tuubaa, nekk ci wetu benn soxna ak ab xale jàkkarlook jaaykatu téere yi. Ñu ngi bind ci jaayukaay bi ci Wolofal: “Jaaykatu Téere. Waa-kër Sëriñ Móodu Mahmuud Ñaŋ.” || Sam Niang is standing facing the door of a bookstore in Touba. He is standing next to a woman and a child. On the green wall outside the bookstore the words “Bookseller. The Family of Serigne Modou Mahmoud Niang” are written in Wolofal (Wolof Ajami).

  • fésal: Ñu ngi ci bind ci Wolofal: “Fii dañy fiy luye matlaa, baas, sees, ak palaat, ak basaŋ [ngir ku am xew].” || Advertisement: The following is written in Wolof Ajami : “Here you can rent mattresses, tents, chairs, plates, and mats [for an event].”

  • Nataalu Jumaa ju Mag ja nekk ca Tuubaa. Foofee lañu denc Sëriñ Tuubaa mi sos Yoonu Murid. || An image of the Great Mosque of Touba. The Master of Touba [Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba] who founded the Muridiyya rests there.

  • Yoon wu mag wi jóge Mbuur jëm Tuubaa. || The major road from Mbour to Touba. Yoon wu mag wi jóge Mbuur jëm Tuubaa. || The major road from Mbour to Touba.

  • Ablaay Jakiteek Sam Ñaŋ a ngi waxtaan ak taalifkatu Wolofal bi tudd Daam Jaane ca këram. || Ablaye Diakité and Sam Niang are talking with the Wolof Ajami poet called Dame Diané in his home.

  • Ab xale bu jigéen bu yenu benn ndap tollook watukaay bu am mbindum Wolofal bu ne: Wat bu sell! || A young girl carrying a bowl on her head passes a barbershop with a Wolof Ajami sign that reads: “A clean cut!”

  • fésal: “Fii dañu fiy jaay birik, ak betoo, ak suuf, ak poto feer.” || Advertisement: “Here we sell bricks, concrete, sand, and metal posts.”

  • Sëriñ Daam Jaane aki dongoom yiy jàng Alxuraan. || Teacher Dame Diané with his Quranic students.

  • Këru Soxna Faatimatu Jaxate. || Home of Mrs. Fatimatou Diakhaté.

  • Fi Daam Jaane dëkke ca Tuubaa. || The area where Dame Diané resides in Touba.

  • Benn ci dongoy Daam Jaane a ngi jàng Alxuraan. || One of Dame Diané’s students studying the Quran.

  • Benn ci mbeddi Tuubaa yi. Li ñu bind ci Wolofal mooy: “Képp ku bëgg xam dara ci ordinatër [na ñow fii].” || One of the streets in Touba. The Wolof Ajami writing reads: “Anyone who wants to know something about computers [should come here].”

Pedagogical Activities

Glossary
Notes
Exercises
Wolof Keyboard

Glossary

  1. Àll b-: Wilderness, forest, rural area, or anything related to country life
  2. Àlluwa g-: A wooden board or tablet where lessons are written for Quranic students. From Arabic al-lawḥ (tablet)
  3. Askan w-: Ancestry, nation. Patrilineal lineage, belt (geño g-), and matrilineal lineage (ween w- or meen m-). Ween also means breast, and meen m- also means tree sap
  4. Colin or coliin g-: Attire, clothing style 
  5. Cosaan l-: Custom, tradition, history, origin 
  6. Faramfàcce or faramfànce: To explain, comment
  7. Jàngat: To analyze, assess, study, look critically
  8. Làkk: To speak a language. Làkk w-(noun): language, tongue (not to be confused with lakk, to burn) 
  9. Liifantu: To learn the Arabic alphabet
  10. Loyalu g-: Keyboard
  11. Mbindinu or Mbindiinu Wolof: Wolofal writing system 
  12. Réew m-: Country, nation, state, territory 
  13. Saafara s-: Liquid potion used for protection or as a remedy
  14. Saar w-: A chapter of the Quran
  15. Taalif: To write or compose a poem. Taalif b- (noun): poem. Taalifkat b- (noun): poet
  16. Tàgg: To praise, extol
  17. Tari: To recite a lesson
  18. Teer: To land, reach a shore
  19. Téere b-: Book. Also used to mean an amulet
  20. Tënk: To summarize. Also to restrain, tie the feet of an animal or person
  21. Tukki: To travel. When used as a noun (tukki b-), means travel
  22. Wolofal b-: Text written with the Arabic script also known as Ajami

Notes

  1. Aw ci gaal yi: A new expression referring to the phenomenon of undocumented immigration from Senegal to Europe using motorized fishing canoes.
  2. Bagaanu muñ gi fees na: “The wooden calabash of patience is full,” a Wolof saying meaning: “The pain has become unbearable.” It is used to describe how people ran out of patience and could no longer endure their dire conditions.
  3. Bind kaamil: To write an entire copy of the Quran. Before graduating from the elementary level of Quranic education, students in Wolof society (especially in Murid areas) must write a complete and flawless copy of the Quran from memory to demonstrate their mastery of the book.
  4. Dog buumu gàcce g-: A Wolof phrase literally meaning “to break the chains of public shame.” It is the belief that young adults must work, be successful, and solve all sorts of problems for their parents and family members. Failing to do so is regarded as shameful in Wolof society. Because public shame is so feared in Wolof society, people will do whatever it takes to avoid attracting shame to themselves and their families, including taking dangerous canoes to migrate to Europe.
  5. Jàng xam-xam: To pursue advanced studies. When Quranic students finish memorizing the Quran in Wolof society, they enter this phase of advanced studies.
  6. Jël mbëk mi: A synonym of aw ci gaal yi. A new expression meaning to take the dangerous path of undocumented migration to Europe through the Atlantic Ocean using local canoes.
  7. Ndigal or Ndigël l-: Order, injunction, directive, instruction, guideline received from an authority, often a religious leader. It is a key principle of the Muridiyya Sufi order of Senegal founded by Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba (1853-1927).
  8. Njabootu buur: “The family of the king” used as a metaphor to refer to the politicians and their entourage.
  9. Sunuy rangooñ a dëkkee siim cerey buur: “Our tears are sauce for the lavish dishes of the king. ” This is used as a metaphor to describe how the sweat and tears of hardworking folks sustain the lavish lifestyle of the politicians in power.
  10. Sëriñ or Sëñ b-: Quranic teacher, spiritual master, or an honorific title for men. The equivalent title for women is Soxna si.
  11. Tugël or Tugal: Europe. It likely comes from Tugal, the abbreviation of Portugal, as the first Europeans to set foot in Wolof lands were Portuguese.
  12. Xew-xew: Event, news, or current issues. It is derived from the verb xew (occur, happen). When used as a noun, xew mi means a ceremony.

Exercises:

Comprehension || Writing || Listening / Speaking and Conversation || Cultural Competence

Comprehension: Video

Comprehension: Image

Writing

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For exercises 1-6 below, open the Wolof Ajami keyboard, type text, and copy-paste it into the box.
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Listening / Speaking and Conversation

  • Podkast ak Widewoo: Defaral ab podkast ci mbiru widewoo bi walla nga defar ay widewoo yu gàtt yuy faramfàcce mbir yi widewoo bi ëmb, ci sa xalaat.

Cultural Competence

  • Deferal ab teyaatar ci Wolof buy wone ab aada bu am solo boo jukkee ci widewoo bi.