Senegalese culture is diverse, as local society is composed of a wide range of ethnic groups, especially the five most represented. The entire society, however, has several basic common features, namely the emphasis on family and family life, religion, but also traditional spirituality. The local society is predominantly Islamic with about 10% of the population being Christian. However, more important to the local society are traditions that date back before the arrival of these two major religions. The religious holidays of both of these world religions always bring families together and are traditional family gatherings full of hospitality and good cheer. Other main reason for family gatherings is family celebrations such as baptisms and weddings. All of these celebrations take place in a similar spirit of a family reunion – celebrations with feasting and dancing accompanied by local traditional music, either reproduced or performed by drummers.
This brings us to music and dance, the most interesting part of the local culture that we can admire. Traditional music is, of course, the sound of various drums played by groups of drummers. From that developed musical style of mbalax in the second half of the 20th century, which is precisely this grouping of drummers supplemented by a modern musical group, drummer, keyboards, guitar, bass, and singer, and this amazing musical style is the most popular throughout Senegal with interesting musicians like Youssou Ndour, Wally Seck and many others. Locals can dance very precisely to this relatively fast music, and attending one of the concerts by local stars is an unforgettable experience.
Beautiful Senegal 