GLOSSARY

Àllu Kaañ (Allou Kagne)  forest located 60 km northeast of Dakar

anango  loose-fitting cotton top

àttaaya  tea prepared according to the Moorish tradition

bàkk  singing and dancing performed by wrestlers for the purpose of self-glorification

Baobab-of-the-Initiates  a special tree under which the newly circumcised boys/young men gather

bogolan  fabric originating from Mali

boroom saret  cart driver

bunukabu  home-brewed beer from the south of Senegal

caaya  baggy pants

ceddo  a pagan

cere baasi  millet couscous with peanut sauce

Cheytan  name derived from Arabic for the devil or Satan

daxin  rice with mutton tripes in peanut sauce

daara  Koranic school

ditax  a fruit

fonde  millet porridge with milk

Gaynde Njaay, mbarawàcc!  Go for it, Lion!

God’s-bits-of-wood  a deprecating way of referring to people in order to keep away bad luck

Gueule-Tapée  a popular district in the city of Dakar

Gouye-Ndiouli (also Guy Njulli)  a special tree under which the newly circumcised boys/young men gather

HLM  moderately priced, government subsidized housing, and the name of many popular districts in Senegal

jujube  a wild berry

kacuupa  dish originating from the Cape Verde Islands—a kind of French bouillabaisse

kàdd  a tree, Acacia albida

kel  extremely hard wood from the eponymous tree

kenkelibaa  herbal tea

laax  millet porridge with soured milk

layu  a small dish made out of wicker and twine

màdd  a wild fruit

mafé  rice with peanut sauce

Man ràkkaaju naa! Waaw, man ràkkaaju naa!  I am on tenterhooks, I am so excited, I can’t wait!

mbapat  nighttime wrestling match for amateurs

mbëggeel  love

mbuum  couscous prepared with leaves from the eponymous tree

Moom sa réew  this is my country

Naeamia be Dakwa  a Sudanese dish

ndënd  a big drum

ñeleŋ  Senegalese dish made from millet

Plateau  district in the city center of Dakar

sabadoor  caftan, boubou

salamalecs  customary greetings in Senegal

Serer  second-largest ethnic group in Senegal

tàkkusaan  Muslim prayer at the end of the afternoon, around 5pm

talibé  little beggar boy

tangana  cheap restaurant

tengaade  conical straw hat

timis  Muslim prayer at the end of the day, around 7:00 p.m.

tisbaar  midafternoon Muslim prayer, around 2:00 p.m.

Toubab  white person, European

tulukuna  very bitter medicinal potion

turki  shirt split at the sides

xeesal  intentional depigmentation of the skin in order to lighten it and make it look white