Unit 5A: Fatou Bintou Lo

Metadata

Title	Conversation with Fatou Bintou Lo
Interviewer	Fallou Ngom and Ablaye Diakite
Subject	New women Wolof poets, education, Wolofal (Wolof Ajami writing and poetry), tribute to her husband
Content	Fatou Bintou Lo (Faatu Bintu Ló in the standard Wolof Latin script spelling) belongs to the new generation of Wolof Ajami poets in Senegal. She is twenty-two, and was born and raised in Touba where she completed her Quranic and advanced Islamic studies. She studied Arabic, grammar, and theology. The transition between writing in Arabic and Wolof Ajami was natural to her, due to her knowledge of the works of the renowned Wolof Ajami poet, Sëriñ Muusa Ka, and other Wolof Ajami writers in her community. Ms. Lo describes how Wolofal poetry reinforced her love of writing. She has written many poems on various subjects, including a poem about the yearly religious pilgrimage in the city Touba (called Le Grand Magal de Touba in French) and a love poem dedicated to her husband, both of which she shared in the interview. She also describes how reading and writing Ajami poetry has improved her knowledge of the Wolof language. Ms. Lo lives with her husband in Nguékhokh, Senegal, where she serves as a Quranic teacher and a Wolof Ajami poetess.
Language	Wolof
Script	Wolof Ajami (locally called Wolofal)
Location	Nguékhokh, Senegal
Pedagogical content/application	Includes relevant linguistic, stylistic and cultural skills as identified in our assessment guidebook/ ACTFL guidelines
Access condition and copyright	These 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).
Contributors	Fallou Ngom, Ablaye Diakite, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Gana Ndiaye, Alison Parker, and Frank Antonelli.
Required citation information	Fallou Ngom (PI), Ablaye Diakite, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, and other contributors. 2023. “Conversation with Fatou Bintou Lo.” https://sites.bu.edu/ria/wolof/wolof-unit-5a/

Videos

Wolof with English Subtitles

Wolof with Latin Script Subtitles

Community Images

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Ablaay Jakite a ngi jox Soxna Faatu Binto Ló (ab taalifkatu Wolofal) ab bindukaay ak kayit ngir mu firndéel ne mooy boroom taalif yi. Ki nekk ci wet gi mooy Saaliw Ló, jëkkëru Bintu Ló. || Ablaye Diakité handing a pen and paper to Mrs. Fatou Bintou Lo (a female Wolof Ajami poet) so that she can confirm that the poems belong to her. The person on the side is Saliou Lo, the husband of Bintou Lo.
Ab deseŋ bu nekk ca dëkk bu ñuy wax Ngeekox di sargaal Yaa Dikkoon mi nit ña jàppe seen “Robin Hood.” || A drawing in the town of Ngekokh showing Yadicone who people regard as their “Robin Hood.”
Sëriñ Móodu Lo, gorob Soxna Faatu Bintu Ló, a ngi jàng ab Wolofal ba mu defoon di gërëm ña ko taxawuwoon ba mu defee aksidaa oto bu metti ba. || Serigne Modou Lo, Fatou Bintou Lo’s father-in-law, reading a Wolof Ajami poem he composed to thank people who assisted him when he had a serious car accident.
Jaaykati meññent, ak diw yaram, ak latkoloñ ya nekk ca peggu yoon ba jëm Ngeekox. || Fruit, lotion, and perfume sellers on the side of the road going to the town of Ngekokh.
Ay garabi guy yu nekk ci ab tool ci yoon wi jëm Tuubaa. || Baobab trees in a farm on the road to Touba.
Ab deseŋ buy wone Maam Seex Ibra Faal (boroom njañ li jiitu te yor kuur wi) ak góor ak jigéen yi ko toppoon ci pas-pasam ak farlu ci liggéey. || A drawing showing Mame Cheikh Ibra Fall (in the front with the long hair and the club) and the men and women who followed him in his commitment and dedication to work.
Lii mooy Jumaa ju Mag ja fa Jurbel. || This is the Great Mosque in Diourbel.
Kii mooy Sëriñ Muusaa Ka, taalifkatu Wolofal bi gën a siiw ci Senegaal. Fi mu tollu ñiy làkk Wolof foofu la Shakespeare tollu ñiy làkk Angale. || This is Serigne Moussa Ka, the most famous Wolof Ajami poet in Senegal. He is for Wolof speakers what Shakespeare is for English speakers.
Lii benn jàkka la bu nekk ci biir Ngeekox. || This is a small mosque inside the town of Ngekokh.
Yoon yiy jëm Ngeekox, ak Mbuur, ak Ndakaaru, ak Cees. || The roads going to Ngekokh (also spelled as Nguekhokh), Mbour, Dakar, and Thiès.

Pedagogical Activities

Glossary

Ayib b-: Flaw, fault, defect, imperfection
Bon, mbon g-: Badness, meanness, wickedness, indecency
Bóoli b-: Large metal recipient for serving food to groups of people
Càmm g-: Herd, livestock
Colin, coliin g-: Dress code, way of dressing
Dénk: To advise, counsel, recommend, entrust
Fàggu: Take one’s predispositions, seek
Fiqh: Islamic Jurisprudence, from Arabic Fiqh
Gaal g-: Trunk, suitcase, canoe
Haraam: Illicit, forbidden, sinful, from Arabic ḥarā
Jamono j-: Epoch, era, time, period
Jigéen j-: Woman, female
Joŋante taalif b-: Poetry contest
Kaarange l-: Security, safety, protection
Kàddu g-: Word, speech
Loyalu b-, loyalu g-: Keyboard
Ngënéel l-: Merit, blessing, advantage, privilege
Njub g-: Uprightness, righteousness, decency, integrity
Sàmm, sàmmkat b-: Herder, shepherd
Sayu matt: Load of firewood
Séy b-: Marriage. When used as a verb, sexual intercourse
Soraas b-: Orange, from French orange
Taalif b-: Poem, synonym of woy (song)
Taarix: History, from Arabic tārīkh
Tasawuuf: Sufism, Islamic mysticism, from Arabic taṣawwuf
Tawhiid: Oneness of God, from Arabic tawḥīd
Wareef w-: Duty, obligation, responsibility
Worma g-: Consideration, respect, honor
Xaal b-: Watermelon
Xaritu benn bakkanam: Best friend
Yenu: To carry on one’s head
Yóbbal b-: Traveler’s provision

Notes

Boroom kër: The Wolof title for family provider, head of household, or husband.
Cosaani maam: Customs, traditions, and values bequeathed by one’s ancestors and passed down from generation to generation.
Dëddu àdduna: “Turning one’s back to the world.” A Sufi phrase meaning to detach oneself from the attractions of the material world, which is fleeting and imperfect, and to devote one’s attention to the hereafter, which is eternal and perfect.
Mbóot y-: Secrets that are inaccessible to novice followers of Sufism, mystical, esoteric knowledge.
Melow ku ñu tàggat: Manners of a well-raised person, traits of a well-trained person, good manners.
Noot sa bakkan: Dominate/control your lower self. This is a key Sufi concept that refers to the efforts of self-control over material and other worldly temptations.

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.

1. Seetaanal benn widewoo bu la neex ci lu tollu ci 1 ba ci 2 simili. Soo noppee, bindal li nga dégg lépp ci Wolofal. Jëfandikool loyalu bi, su ko aajoo.

2. Bindal sa xalaat ci wenn wàll ci widewoo bi. Ci misaal, mën nga a bind ci: 1) li la ci ëppal solo; 2) li la ci gën a yéem, walla 3) loo ci bëgg a leerlu. Jëfandikool loyalu bi, su ko aajoo.

3. Bindal ay laaj ci wenn wàllu widewoo bi. Boo nopee, jàng ko ci kanamu say naatango. Jëfandikool loyalu bi, su ko aajoo.

4. Bindal juróomi laaj ci Wolofal ci mbir yi widewoo bi ëmb. Boo noppee, jox leen say naatango ngir ñoom it ñu tontu say laaj ci Wolofal.

5. Tënkal widewoo bi ci mbindum Wolofal.

6. Tànnal benn nataal. Boo noppee, bindal li mu ëmb ci Wolofal ak lu muy fësal.

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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 eskets ci Wolof buy wone ab aada bu am solo boo jukkee ci widewoo bi.