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People
Demography
Senegal's contemporary population, numbering approximately 12 milion, is a diverse society. Senegal is made up of several dozen ethnic groups, of which only three, the Wolof, Sérèr and Pular or Peul, comprise more than 10 percent of the population. The largest of the three, the Wolof, make up 30 percent of the population. The Wolofs (or Ouolofs) are geographically bordered by the Tukolor (or Toucouleurs) and the Sérères. Other ethnic groups include the Jola, the Mandinka and the Soninke. Non-African ethnicities represented in Senegal include a small number of Europeans and Lebanese.
At the height of their power, the main ethno-linguistic group of Senegal, the Wolofs, created the kingdoms of Ovalo, Kayor, Bayol and Dyolof, which disappeared in the course of the French military conquest of the country at the end of the 18th century.
Wolof society has traditionally been organized into castes (princely families, nobility, hammersmiths, weavers, wood workers, leather workers and griots-traditional oral storytellers of West Africa). Wolofs also represent the largest ethnic group in Dakar. Their dominating position in the country's economy and policy is at the root of a process of "wolofization" of Senegalese society.
The Sérèr live primarily in the Sine-Saloum delta region and near "La Petite Côte," south of the Cap Vert peninsula. Former President Senghor was one of the first Sérèr and Senegalese to attend French mission schools.
The Peul live mainly in the central area of the country though they can are found throughout the country owing to their nomadic history. Elsewhere in Senegal and in West Africa they known as Fulani, Foulbé and Poulo.
Other major ethnic groups include the Mandika (Mandingue), the Jola and the Tukolor (Toucouleur). The Mandinka came from Mali in the middle of the 19th century and settled in upper Casamance and upper Gambia. The Jola primarily live in the Lower Casamance region, which has been to home to most of the fighting between the government and rebel groups. The Tukolor primarily settled on the banks of the river Senegal between Podor and Matam, across from the border with Mauritania.
As noted above, Senegal also has significant European and Lebanese minority groups who play a disproportionate role in the commercial life of the country. Some members of these groups have been living in Senegal for three and four generations.
French is the official language, but only the literate segment of the population speak it. National languages in Senegal include Wolof, Pular, Sérère-Sine, Jola-Fogny, Malinke, Mandinka, and Soninke. Most Senegalese, particularly those outside of the Casamance region, speak Wolof as a second or third language. As a result, Wolof also plays a role as a linguistic unifying source for the country. In total, there are about 36 listed 'living languages" in Senegal, many of which belong to the Niger-Congo and Atlantic-Congo linguistic families.
The major religion in Senegal is Islam, although there is a small percentage of Christians, as well as animists. The disintegration of the majority Wolofs' social structures furthered the development of Islam in the country.
Senegal is justly famous for the contributions of its people to the arts and humanities. Youssou N'Dour, a world-famous musician and singer and Sembene Ousmane, a renowned author and film director, are just a few of the notables in the pantheon of Senegal's artists and performers. This cultural richness has a number of sources including the relative lack of ethnic tensions and the unifying influence of Islam.
Human Development
In terms of health and welfare, according to recent estimates, Senegal has an on average life expectancy at birth of 57 years of age. The infant mortality rate, also according to recent estimates, is 58.93 deaths per 1,000 live births. The literacy rate is notably low. An average of 40 percent of the population, age 15 and over, can read and write. This number, however, does not reflect the gender divergence whereby 50 percent of males are literate and only 30 percent of females are literate. The prevelance of HIV/AIDS infection is notably lower than elsewhere in Africa.
About 5.7 percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures. About 5.8 percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures.
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI places Senegal in the low human development category, at 144th place. Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch.com; see Bibliography for research sources.
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