Inter-religious dialogue: A “Ndogou” shared between Muslims and Christians
The African Academy of Religious, Social and Political Sciences, of the Dakar Group, brought together, last Thursday, in Dakar, the Christian and Muslim faithful around a “Ndogou” (breakdown of the young, in French). The meeting, which took place at the Daniel Brottier Cultural Center in Dakar, was an opportunity for the actors to advocate “Living together in Senegal”.
At a time when the world is going through identity and religious crises, Senegal remains a land of dialogue and tolerance. The Academy of Religious, Social and Political Sciences of Dakar, through its Dakar office, took advantage of the convergence of the months of Lent and Ramadan to invite the faithful to a “Ndogou”, that is to say a unique moment of sharing to celebrate what makes the strength of the Senegalese nation.
According to Manuel Pina, coordinator of the Dakar office of the Academy, the brotherhood between the sons and daughters of Senegal must be strengthened and magnified. This, according to him, is what encouraged this citizen meeting around a moment of sharing called “Living together in Senegal”.
“The meeting allowed us to discuss the common values of peace, sharing and solidarity carried by Lent and Ramadan. According to him, “living together” has all the more meaning as we are all sons of Abraham. We must learn to know each other better to strengthen tolerance and peace between brothers,” stressed Manuel Pina.
Continuing, he invited us to continue this fight that the Academy has adopted from the communities, because peace, despite its importance, can be weakened.
For Imam Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane Dia from Île de Gorée, we only talk about dialogue when there is divergence, which is not the case in Senegal. “Mayor Augustin Senghor attends all the prayers in Korité and Tabaski to commune with the populations. During these Muslim holidays, we see Christians sacrificing a sheep and buying a boubou. During Easter, the island is flooded with “Ngalakh” (millet porridge with peanut paste),” the imam informed.
According to him, Senegal is a country where everyone is related to each other. “We see in Joal-Fadiouth, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor, brothers of the same blood who are of different faiths. We were invited to Rome by Pope Francis who, throughout the audience, did not stop talking about peace in the world,” added Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane Dia.
Djibril NDIAYE
