Strong poetic voices, and novelists tell the stories of the West African in refined Arabic.
All of this drew attention to the Arabic language and its conditions in Qatar. Some people think it is far from it, and it is well established in it. Al Jazeera Net has looked at the conditions of the language of Dhad in Senegal (the country of Teranga).
Arabic and Islam
Arabic enjoys a great place among Muslims in various parts of the world because of its great connection with Islam, and perhaps this is one of the reasons for its support and commitment to many.
And the reasons for her war as well.
In Senegal - as is the case with West Africa in general - Arabic and the Islamic religion are linked to the date of their entry, and their spread thereafter. In the seventh century AD.
The dispute between historians does not stop at the date of entry, but extends to the question of precedence: did Arabic precede Islam, or vice versa?
And Dr. Niang believes - in his speech to Al Jazeera Net - that "the history of the entry of Arabic into Senegal must be studied independently, and it is most likely that Arabic arrived in the region long before the arrival of Islam, due to the Arab-African connections that existed."
The Senegalese links with the Arabs of Africa and its metropolitan areas such as Cairo, Kairouan, Tlemcen and the whole of Mauritania were the main reason for reaching the Arabic Senegal, and Arabia is still benefiting from these ties.
As for the Senegalese researcher specializing in the Arabic language, Mustafa Goum, regarding the spread of Arabic for an opinion based on several sources, the Almoravid movement (1040-1147) effectively contributed to the spread of Islam and Arabic.
He adds in his study published in 2019 that the King of Senegal, "Boargabe" (died in 1040), converted to Islam and participated in the spread of Islam and Arabic among his subjects.
colonial artifacts
Arabic remained faithful to its beginnings in its connection with the Islamic religion, and if we knew that 95% of the people of Senegal adhere to the Islamic religion, we would realize the importance of this religion in the spread and survival of Arabic, and in the Senegalese adoption of it.
And Arabic owes its spread in Senegal to a large number of sheikhs who were interested in teaching the Qur’an, and Arabic of course.
The head of the Literary Club in Senegal, Fadel Ghay, told Al Jazeera Net, "Our ancestors used Arabic in their administrative correspondence before the advent of the French occupation, which tried to obliterate Arabic by fighting its teachers and burning Quranic schools, but the people remained adhering to the language of the Qur'an, despite the colonial imposition of French as an official language."
President of the Literary Club of Senegal, Fadel Ghay, believes that Arabic is often marginalized (Al-Jazeera)
Despite the systematic fight against Arabic by the occupier, dealing with Arabic remained necessary for the French themselves, and this is what Dr. Niang pointed out by saying, "The colonial administrations had to attract clerks from the Arabized Mauritanian or Senegalese, to be a link between them and the citizens."
Niang adds, "Colonialism penetrated the arteries of the state, so it tried to eradicate Arabic from its roots. He was relatively successful in this, but it remained a sacred language, and it has a place in the hearts of the Senegalese."
The war of the French against Arabia was part of their war against Islam and its sheikhs who enjoy the love of people and their meeting around them, and an attempt to change a culture in Senegal.
Even after the colonizer was gone, it was not easy to return to the previous situation, and the Senegalese governments did not have good relations with the Arab world, according to the opinions of interested parties, because of the French keenness to support the Francophone trends.
But the matter has changed with some reservation, according to the testimony of Fadel Ghay, who believes that the view of Arabic has changed during the era of both former President Abdullah Wade and the current Macky Sall, but confirms that Arabic is often marginalized.
Teaching Arabic
In the books and the lectures, the beginnings of teaching Arabic were in Senegal, and in light of the fires of those lectures, the Senegalese are still learning Arabic, with a lot of change over time.
The most important stages of change came with the entry of the French to Senegal, so they established modern schools, the first of which were in 1850 in the city of Saint Louis, and they spread successively.
However, the parents continued to send their children to their Islamic schools, which the government worked to combat by enacting a law in 1896 prohibiting the opening of schools without a license, imposing financial penalties and prison sentences for violators, as well as setting difficult conditions for issuing licenses.
French schools were elevated, and their certificates were necessary to fill jobs, and so on, an approach that was repeated in most of the colonies.
In the meantime, the teaching of Arabic remained present in traditional institutes, and some Senegalese traveled to Arab countries to learn it. The conditions of Arabic education did not change much after independence until after the educational reform program that began in the seventies.
Fadel Ghay paints the current scene of Arabic in Senegal, saying that it is taught in government schools from the primary level to university, and there is a department of Arabic at the University of Cheikh You Job in Dakar, and at the Institute of Management, as well as Arab schools and institutes affiliated with Islamic associations.
remarkable creativity
The past years witnessed Senegalese brilliance in creativity in Arabic, poetry and prose, which was manifested in the creators receiving a number of awards and their participation in Arab festivals.
The head of the Literary Club believes that Arabic in Senegal is experiencing an unprecedented boom, describing the current literature written in Arabic as the golden age.
And that the present of Senegalese Arab creativity is an heir to an ancient history of Arabic-Senegalese writing.
Niang explained the nature of this legacy by saying, "The memory of history has preserved for us the writings of the Senegalese, and their poetic creativity since the arrival of Islam to them, in addition to scientific products written in Arabic such as: jurisprudence, interpretation, principles of Sharia, doctrine, and so on."
He believes that the present of writing is an extension of that tender, in addition to other creative ways.
Researcher Mohamed Niang believes that colonialism tried to eradicate the roots of Arabic from Senegal (Al-Jazeera)
For his part, the Senegalese novelist Abu Bakr Anjay spoke - in his testimony to Al Jazeera Net - about the literary scene, and said, "A literary revolution that preserved the ancient heritage, developed, diversified and took place in it, and brought a remarkable diversity by adding the elements of story and novel in Senegalese literary creations in Arabic."
But the beholder of the Senegalese literary map notes differences in terms of prevalence and spread between different literary genres, as poetry goes far compared to narration, and this is what the novelist Anjay justified by the precedence and precedence of Arabic poetry in Senegal, unlike the narrative arts of story and novel.
Despite this literary revolution, there is still a quantitative gap between the Senegalese Arab creative product compared to the French one, according to the Senegalese writer and researcher Omar Abu Warsh.
Media presence
In the media, the Arabic space began to expand in different forms and media, which helped in the spread of the language and its presence in the diaries and lives of the Senegalese.
Anjay believes that the Senegalese media in Arabic has succeeded in imposing its presence in an unprecedented way, and it has a large segment of followers.
He added, "There are Senegalese Arabic-speaking newspapers and media sites in the Senegalese arena, such as Dakar Rural, Senegal News, Senegalese News Agency, Dakar News and others."
Although there is no satellite or radio station that broadcasts in Arabic, some channels and stations allocate periods and programs in Arabic.
The largest area for Arab media in Senegal remains for electronic media, and this was confirmed by the testimony of the novelist and researcher Omar Abu Warsh, who believes that the presence of Arabic in the audio-visual media is fading.
However, in general, observers see that the areas of Arabic are expanding, and so are its followers, and there is a presence of literary matters in those spaces, with the acquisition of a new audience for Senegalese sites and pages, some of them from abroad.
Yesterday or tomorrow?
Before the French entered into an advanced position, Arabic was a language for blogging and writing, and the people of Senegal accepted it with love and in their religion. It receded due to colonialism in the interest of the language of the colonizer. .
Abu Warsh looks at the future of Arabic with reasoned optimism, saying, "It can be said that the future of Arabic in Senegalese education is promising. Arab education, both governmental and private, is flourishing, and Arab intellectuals are interested in writing."
However, he added, "This does not mean that there are no challenges preventing Arabic from flourishing, but the relationship of the Senegalese people with Arabic is characterized by a deep depth that helps it overcome challenges."
Education is not the only reason for optimism, as Dr. Niang believes that “the scientific and literary awakening witnessed by Senegalese writers and poets who refuse to write except in Arabic poetry and prose is another guarantor of its bright future in the country, and its empowerment in the soul of the Senegalese man inhabited by the love of Arabic.”
Niang wished for greater interest from the Arab countries in spreading the language. As for Abu Warsh, despite his optimism, he had some observations that hinder the expansion of Arabic, among them the tendency of some Senegalese Arabists to use Arabic as a means of understanding religion only, and not using it as a means of art and literature, as Abu Warsh insulted a few Literary activities and national literary competitions that encourage young people to write.