320 Abibisika (Black Gold) Points

Rank: Unranked Newbie

“Bakary Tandia
March 7 at 2:16pm ·
Dakar at the Rhythm of Wagadu

The city of Dakar in Senegal has generously hosted the 5th edition of the International Soninké Festival (FISO), February 21-25, 2018.. In addition to Senegal, the host country, Mali, Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau, home countries of the Soninké populations, delegations came from Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, France, Spain and the United States of America, to participate in this great gathering which provided members of the community with an exceptional opportunity to reflect on the means of promoting Soninke language and culture. It also explored opportunities for harmonious socio-economic development so that community members can reach their full potential in the countries in which they live. To those delegations, we must add the official representatives of the host country and the members of its different national communities who reflect the diversity that characterizes the city of Dakar.

On this occasion, the idea that it is important to know one’s past and present to build a solid foundation for the future was emphasized. This is how the theme of the 2018 FISO is entitled, “Wagadu 1st West African Empire; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” During the five days of FISO, participants have had the opportunity to participate in conferences on a range of themes, on economic development, the role of women in the community, immigration (with effective participation of representatives of the second generation from France), culture and religion. Moreover, experts of the language conducted fruitful exchanges on the transcription and harmonization of the language, a central element at the origin of the organization of FISO. One of the highlights of the program was the debate that Professor Ousmane Diagana led with Thierno MohamadouTandia, author of “Grains De Millet,” a remarkable collection of poems and Harouna Mangassa, moderator of Fiso.com who collected the reflections on 52 themes debated on this site during the 52 weeks that preceded the holding of the 2018 FISO. Also, the event was marked by parades of participating delegations, which highlighted the creativity of women through their traditional outfits. And the musical performances allowed the artists to exhibit their talent.

It is important to remember that the opening of the 2018 FISO coincided with the celebration of the International Day of the Mother Language (21 February) which theme this year is, “Linguistic diversity and multilingualism matter for sustainable development. ” UNESCO’s efforts to ensure the “harmonious coexistence of the 7000 languages spoken by humanity” is in fact a substantial contribution to the maintenance of peace, a prerequisite for sustainable development. So by promoting the Soninké language and culture, the community participates in the promotion of the African cultural heritage and consequently to the world cultural heritage.

Furthermore, the celebration of FISO during the month of February also coincides with Black History Month during which the African American community organizes academic, historical, cultural, educational and informational activities to celebrate its cultural heritage, consolidate the achievements and strategically define new perspectives. This is eloquently articulated by Marty Meehan, “Black History Month must be more than just a month of commemoration, it should be a tribute to our history and a reminder of the work that awaits us. the months and years to come.”

It is worth noting that, the heads of delegation worked tirelessly to review and adopt the constitutive texts of the institutions to be set up. This is the International Confederation of Soninke Associations and its components: the Soninke Academy, the Soninké International Festival and the Foundation Dinga. Then, unanimously, the participants approved the holding of the next FISO 2020 in Banjul, the Gambia.

Finally, our sincere thanks to Wagadu Jiida members for their warm welcome, to the Senegalese people for its legendary Teranga, and to the Senegalese authorities for facilitating the activities of the festival.

Solidarity & Unity”