Unit 6A: Magatte Sylla

Videos
Community Images
Pedagogical Activities

Metadata

TitleConversation with Magatte Sylla
InterviewerFallou Ngom and Ablaye Diakite
SubjectImportance of Ajami literature, gender, education 
ContentMagatte Sylla (Màggat Silla in the standard Wolof Latin script spelling) was born and raised in 1975 in Dakar, Senegal. She attended both Quranic and French schools in Dakar. She was a student of the Martin Luther King Middle School in Dakar, and also attended a Quranic school. Later, she attended the John Fitzgerald Kennedy High School in Dakar and then went on to Gaston Berger University where she studied for four years. In this interview, Mrs. Sylla shares with us her educational and professional trajectory and discusses her work as an employee of the Senegalese Ministry of Education. She also reflects on the significance of Ajami literature, and talks about the issues that she is researching for her Ph.D. dissertation, which is focused on Wolof Ajami literature and on women’s issues and role in Senegalese society. Mrs. Sylla also discusses the work of Sëriñ Muusaa Ka, a famous Wolof Ajami poet, that has been significant in her research. She discusses the strategies she is using to research the traditions of her native people, and reflects on the importance of learning about the work and lives of the influential elders of the past.
LanguageWolof
ScriptWolof Ajami (locally called Wolofal)
LocationMbour, 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, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Gana Ndiaye, Alison Parker, and Frank Antonelli.
Required citation informationFallou Ngom (PI), Ablaye Diakite, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, and other contributors. 2023. “Conversation with Magatte Sylla.” https://sites.bu.edu/ria/wolof/wolof-unit-6a/

Videos

Wolof with English Subtitles

Wolof with Latin Script Subtitles

Community Images

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  • Nataalu Maam Jaara Buso, yaayu Seex Ahmadu Bamba mi sos yoonu Murid. || Billboard with image of Maam Jaara Buso (Mame Diarra Bousso in the French-based spelling), mother of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba (Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba in the French-based spelling) who founded the Muridiyya.

  • Nataalu Soxna Maymunatu Mbàkke, doomu Seex Ahmadu Bamba. Soxna si doonoon na ab jàngalekat ak taalifkat bu raññeekuwoon ci yoonu Murid. || Billboard with image of Lady Maymunatu Mbàkke (Soxna Maimounatou Mbacké in the French-based spelling), daughter of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba. She was a distinguished educator and poet in the Muridiyya.

  • Ab deseŋ biy wone ay kelifa diine yu siiw ci Senegaal. || A mural showing famous religious leaders in Senegal.

  • Benn ci deseŋ yi ñu defoon ca Mbuur ngir xeex jàngaroy Covid 19. Li ñu ngi ci bind ci Farañse mooy: “Toogleen seen kër.” || One of the murals made in Mbour to fight against COVID-19. What is written in French says “Stay home.”

  • Beneen ci deseŋ yi ñu defoon ca Mbuur ci jamanoy Covid 19. || Another mural made in Mbour during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Beneen deseŋ bi ñu defoon ngir xeex mbasum Covid 19 ci Mbuur. || Another mural made to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Mbour.

  • Wenn ci yoon yu mag yi jëm Mbuur fa Soxna Màggat Silla dëkk. || One of the major roads to Mbour, where Lady Magatte Sylla lives.

  • Fii mooy Saly Center mi bokk ci goxu Mbuur. || Saly Center, in the district of Mbour.

  • Ab nataal buy wone wenn ci yoon yi nekk ci biir dëkku Mbuur. || A street scene inside the city of Mbour.

  • Nataalu Jumaa ju Mag ja fa Jurbel. || Image of the Great Mosque of Diourbel.

Pedagogical Activities

Glossary
Notes
Exercises
Wolof Keyboard

Glossary

  1. Àtte dëgg: To judge fairly and impartially
  2. Comboñ b-: Diacritic, sign
  3. Dellusi: To return, come back
  4. Dénkaane b-: Recommendation, counsel, advice
  5. Diiwaan: Region, area
  6. Fanaan: To spend the night, sleep over
  7. Faxiir b-: Poor, needy, from Arabic faqīr
  8. Fiqh: Islamic Jurisprudence, from Arabic Fiqh
  9. Gëdd b-: Due respect, attention, regard, consideration
  10. Gëstu: To research, inquire, investigate
  11. Jaar-jaar: Background, itinerary, trajectory, path
  12. Jàngalekat: Instructor, teacher
  13. Jeexital b- or njeexital l-: Consequence, vestige, mark, leftover, ramification
  14. Jéggal: To excuse, pardon
  15. Jéggalu: To ask for forgiveness, apologize
  16. Marsiya b-: Elegy, biography, funerary poem, from Arabic marsiyya
  17. Mbokk: Relatives, extended family, from bokk (to share, belong)
  18. Ñaax: To urge, encourage, exhort
  19. Ñag b-: Traditional enclosure surrounded with thorny branches
  20. Néew ji doole: Literally, people with little strength, i.e. the poor
  21. Sahaaba or Saaba: Companion of Prophet Muhammad, from Arabic saḥāba
  22. Tàggat: To raise, train, educate, exercise
  23. Téere b-: Book. Also used to mean amulet
  24. Woroo: To have differences, contradictions, conflicting views
  25. Xëtu tënk: Summary page
  26. Xóotal: To deepen, go in-depth
  27. Yàlla: God
  28. Yedd: To counsel, guide, advise
  29. Yërëm: To feel pity for x, be sad for x
  30. Yilif: To command, rule, lead, govern

Notes

  1. Bàjjan or bàjjen j-: Paternal aunt, a central figure in Wolof society whose advice and opinions are sought after on important family matters.
  2. Gane àdduna: “To visit the world.” A Wolof expression meaning to be born. The phrase is rooted in the Muslim belief that life on earth is fleeting and that human beings are only here as visitors. True life is believed to be in the hereafter.
  3. Laylatul Qadr: Night of Power. A night of prayers and supplications celebrated by Muslims. According to the prophetic tradition, it is on one of the last ten days of the month of Ramadan.
  4. Maam Cerno Mbàkke or Mame Thierno Mbacké (1863-1943): Ahmadu Bamba’s younger brother and personal assistant. He was known as Thierno, Ibra Fati Mbàkke, or Ndaamal Daaru. He is remembered as an educator and a specialist of Islamic jurisprudence, or Fiqh. He was responsible for sorting out many legal issues in Murid communities.
  5. Maam Jaara Buso or Mame Diarra Bousso (ca.1833-1866): The mother of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba. She is also known as Soxna Jaara Buso or Sokhna Diarra Bousso. She is celebrated in Murid sources as the epitome of virtue. She rests in the town of Poroxaan or Porokhane, which has become a major pilgrimage site for Murids.
  6. Mafatihul Bishri: Keys to Joy. This is the title of a long Arabic poem by Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba. His followers treat it as his religious, political, economic, and social blueprint for the city of Touba.
  7. Muadh ibn Jabal or Maas ibnu Jabal in Wolof (603-639): The youngest companion of Prophet Muhammad who was sent to lead the nascent Muslim community in Yemen.
  8. Ñag: Literally, a protective enclosure made with thorny branches to secure a farm from animals. Also refers to personal protections from all manner of natural and supernatural harm.
  9. Sëñ Gaawaan, Sëriñ Gaawaan, or Serigne Gawane (1867-1941): “Master of Gaawaan.” This is the nickname of Ahmadu Bamba’s young brother and disciple Shaykh Anta Mbàkke who lived in the village of Gaawaan. He was the wealthiest Murid of his time and the greatest financier of the Muridiyya in its early days.
  10. Sëriñ Mbàkke Buso or Serigne Mbacké Bousso (1864-1945): A maternal cousin of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba and one of his early followers. He is remembered in Murid communities as a great astronomer and mathematician.
  11. Sëriñ Muusaa Ka or Serigne Moussa Ka (1889-1963): A disciple of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba and the most famous Wolof Ajami poet. He was a hagiographer and historian who cross-pollinated Bamba’s writings, Islamic sources, and the works of his senior colleagues.
  12. Wasiyatul Niswaan: Advice for Women. The title of an Ajami poem written by Muusaa Ka dedicated to women, as the title suggests. From Arabic, Wasiyat al-Niswān.

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

  • Xëtu Tënk ak Tontu ay Laaj: Defal ci widewoo bi ab xëtu tënk ci Wolof. So noppee nga jàng ko ci kanamu ndongo yi. Boo noppee, ñu laaj la ci li nga tënk, nga tontu leen.

Cultural Competence

  • Woneel ay doxin walla ngëm-ngëmi aadaa yu fës ci biir widewoo bi.