A look at cowry shell divination and a spirit possession ritual within a Muslim community in Dakar

Abstract

This research is the result of an investigation into local cultural practices and beliefs in the urban setting that is Dakar, capital of the West African country of Senegal. It has culminated into the production of a documentary and accompanying thesis. This companion text serves to offer a detailed ethnographic account of the fieldwork conducted and an analytical framework to some of the questions raised in the film. Cowry shell divination and ndop healing rituals in Dakar are two traditional practices that are proscribed by orthodox Islam but that have adapted to a modern urban environment. With a particular focus on both these customs, this research seeks to explore the meeting of Sufi Islam and what we might call animism as evident in the quotidian life of religious Dakarois. The city presents itself as a setting where one can affirm one's Muslim identity while maintaining a traditional African heritage that has been adapted to a modern environment. Rather than considering animist practices in the city as subversive to Islamic faith, the fieldwork focuses on the function of two distinct esoteric practices in the city and their interrelation with Sufi mysticism, in an attempt to understand the dual belonging of individuals, to both local traditional practices and to the monotheist religion that is Islam.The 40-minute documentary can be viewed through the link below: http://vimeo.com/107555114 ; Password: DakarSyncretism

Date of Award	31 Dec 2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Angela De Souza Torresan (Supervisor) & Andrew Irving (Supervisor)