What is this “community” of which you speak?!

We talk about individualistic societies and communitarian societies, but what does it mean to be in a communitarian society on a day-to-day basis? Well, in Senegal the communal nature of society manifests itself in myriad ways: It can be found in the lengthy greetings that are addressed to every acquaintance encountered on the street, the “salaamaalekum”s and the “how’s your morning, work, affaires, family, mother, cousin, aunt, and husband…?”s. Recognizing everyone around you is critical and saying “I don’t know you” is a paramount insult indicating that you feel you owe that person nothing, which makes no sense since everyone is interdependent and can’t help but owe everything to their community.

Emphasis on community is in the little things; the way that everyone seems to remember everyone else’s names with ease regardless of how occasionally they may interact with them. In the fact that we eat around a single bowl, unified by our close proximity and equal sharing. In the way that this sharing extends into every nook and cranny of life where any food at hand is first offered to anyone close at hand before being tasted and even a lollypop can make the rounds

But then there are the big things, like how households include the entire extended family and the relationships between everyone is critical. Even the language reflects this; in Wolof, for example, they distinguish between your father’s sister (bajjan), your mother’s sister (tataa), and your uncle’s wife (yumpaañ), all of which we refer to as simply, “aunt.” It does not suffice to overlook the details of how one person relates to another. You are not merely an individual with your own credits under your belt but rather a thread in a greater tapestry, intertwined most closely with your kin and ancestors but reaching out to and depending on the entire society to sustain you and imbue you with identity.

Why would you live alone when you could share in the joys of life with your parents, children, in-laws, and cousins all together? Why would you pass by a smiling face with only a brief wave and a “hi” when you could pause to speak with them, thereby recognizing their import role within the community and, by extension, their entire family, network of friends, and ancestry? Why would you hoard a candybar all to yourself when you could share one bite with every person in the room and truly relish the single morsel saved for yourself beside the appreciative smiles of the community you have knit around you?

~Jocelyn

PS This glowing depiction does, of course, overlook those instances where personal interests win-out over the golden standard of sharing, but the general custom is present none-the-less. Granted, communal cultures bring with them their own host of problems, just the same as individualistic cultures such as our own. The giving and sharing nature of Senegalese culture combined with the required alms-giving in Islam can lead to people falling into dependence on others easily, passively expecting to receive rather than working to pull their own weight within society. So, every society has its own problems, regardless of whether it is individualistic or communal, but the key is to understanding the merits and weaknesses of both so as to idealize or vilify neither.