WFDD Faith and Development in Focus: Senegal SUPPORTED BY THE HENRY R. LUCE INITIATIVE ON RELIGION AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS MAY 2016 About the World Faiths Development Dialogue The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) is a not-for-profit organization working at the intersection of religion and global development. Housed within the Berkley Center in Washington, D.C., WFDD documents the work of faith inspired organizations and explores the importance of religious ideas and actors in development contexts. WFDD supports dialogue between religious and development communities and promotes innovative partnerships, at national and international levels, with the goal of contributing to positive and inclusive development outcomes. About the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, created within the Office of the President in 2006, is dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of religion, ethics, and public life. Through research, teaching, and service, the center explores global challenges of democracy and human rights; economic and social development; international diplomacy; and interreligious understanding. Two premises guide the center’s work: that a deep examination of faith and values is critical to address these challenges, and that the open engagement of religious and cultural traditions with one another can promote peace. Acknowledgments This report is a product of the Berkley Center multi-country 2016 by Lauren Herzog, Wilma Mui, and Katherine Zuk, research program supported by the Henry R. Luce Initiative on former WFDD program associate. Crystal Corman, WFDD Religion and International Affairs. The Senegal research program program manager, provided valuable feedback and guidance benefited from a consultation event; the Berkley Center and throughout the entire process; Nathaniel Adams, WFDD WFDD invited a group of scholars and practitioners to review program coordinator, gave constructive comments on early research plans in Washington, D.C in January 2015 that drew on drafts. Katherine Marshall, WFDD executive director, provided initial desk research. During that meeting and over subsequent project oversight, participated in fieldwork, and edited the months, the group helped to identify gaps in knowledge and report. Sheikh Saliou Mbacké offered invaluable feedback and priority topics for investigation. Participants included Erin Joanna insights on the religious landscape of Senegal, including a paper Augis, Robert Baum, Laura Cochrane, Julius E. Coles, Souleymane exploring trends within the Mouride confrérie. Christopher Bachir Diagne, Mamadou Diouf, Joanne Gleason, Philip Massey, Riley, former WFDD program assistant participated in initial Stephanie Saenger, and Leonardo A. Villalón. The Senegal research field research and conducted phone interviews, and Sabrina program centered on extensive and in-depth interviews in Senegal Khan, a Georgetown University undergraduate student, (several of them are online at http://berkleycenter.georgetown. researched the Catholic community in Senegal. edu/subprojects/country-mapping-senegal). We highlight the rich contributions of members of the Cadre des Religieux pour la Santé Comments on the draft report, notably from Laura Cochrane, et le Développement who offered deep insights on their respective Joanne Gleason, and Rebecca Blachly, were invaluable. religious communities. Reports by Rokhaya Thiam, Mouhamadou Barro, and Moussé Fall of the Réseau Islam et Population enriched We express our sincere gratitude to all of those who shared our understanding of religious networks, media, and perspectives their experiences, knowledge, and insights with us through on reproductive health. interviews and exchanges. This report would not have been possible without their contributions. Development of this report was managed by Lauren Herzog, program coordinator at WFDD. She and Wilma Mui, WFDD Photographs in the report were taken by Lauren Herzog, Alice program associate, are the report’s principal authors. Fieldwork Liang, Katherine Marshall, Wilma Mui, Christopher Riley, Al was conducted in Senegal between June 2014 and February Hadji Sene, and Christopher Uller. 2 BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY WORLD FAITHS DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE — MAY 2016 FOREWORD his report, Faith and Development in Focus: Senegal, explores The report highlights the diversity of faith-inspired actors working the complex history and present links between Senegal’s in development and their differing ideological perspectives and distinctive Sufi Muslim organizations and significant, if far less approaches to the challenges of modernization and social change. In Tnumerous, Christian actors and the nation’s development challenges. Senegal’s complex and dynamic religious landscape, some actors are While few working in Senegal—among its public institutions, civil ambivalent about or even hostile to certain aspects of development society, and active international partners—are unaware that religious strategies, but many more contribute actively to mainstream institutions are particularly weighty players, there are notable gaps in development efforts, either directly as religious organizations and appreciating how they are involved in development strategies and communities or through the work of the many faith-inspired programs. There are few practical means of engaging them in the organizations. Significant gaps in understanding cut both ways— participatory processes that are vital to constructive and sustainable religious actors may not appreciate some imperatives and options for development approaches. In Senegal’s rapidly changing economic development policy, and secular actors may misunderstand religious and social landscape, there are gaps in understanding the changes that motivations and perspectives or actively eschew contacts with religious roles and actors are also experiencing and their national and religious counterparts. We hope that a solid base of information— local implications. Important international forces are at work, notably including recognizing diversity and the immense cumulative impact transnational links through diaspora communities, international of religious actors in everything from education to climate change programs colored by religious factors, and the rise of non-violent and adaptation—will challenge the all-too-common narrative of an violent extremism across the West African region. While Senegal has inherent opposition between religion and development. been largely immune to the latter, the nation’s openness to global forces and the rapid social change upending many traditional social The underlying purpose of the investigative work is to provide a resource patterns suggest that complacency would be a mistake. that can inform development policy and praxis in Senegal. It comes at an important time, as Senegal faces challenges on the economic, This report’s goal is to provide an accessible and thorough overview social, and political fronts in working to achieve the ambitious goals of Senegal’s religious landscape, tracing its history, contemporary reflected in the Emerging Senegal Plan and, more broadly, the global institutions, and the dynamics of change, all in relation to major Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Climate change is a far from issues for development. It highlights several areas that are sensitive abstract notion in the Sahel, including Senegal, with fresh memories and contentious (family code and gender roles); demand urgent of devastating droughts and erratic rainfall patterns. The challenges of attention (education policies); and, offer promise (family planning). adaptation and mitigation are real and immediate. The overall objective is to enhance understanding of the often misunderstood roles of religious actors, and in doing so, to contribute The report is part of a multi-year review of the roles that religious to enhancing the quality of development dialogue and programs. ideas, institutions, and leaders play in the wide-ranging fields of development and social welfare undertaken by the Berkley Center The report’s hypothesis is that ignoring or minimizing the for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University importance of religious factors detracts from development programs and the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD). Senegal in many respects. The fragmented nature of engagement both is one of four countries of focus for the Religion and Global among religious actors and with the Senegalese government and its Development Program supported by the Henry R. Luce Initiative international partners leads to a wide variety of suboptimal results on Religion and International Affiars (the others are Bangladesh, that include: the inefficiencies of overlapping programs; failures to Kenya, and Guatemala). Fieldwork in Senegal was led by Lauren learn from experience through lack of knowledge of what others Herzog (WFDD) working closely with Crystal Corman (WFDD), are doing; missed opportunities because of limited engagement and with significant inputs from Wilma Mui (WFDD). with communities; and even programs that are counterproductive through failure to appreciate the motivation of religious actors and This report addresses an immensely complex topic. It is thus part of a organizations. The report highlights the special significance of issues continuing effort as WFDD, the Berkley Center, and our partners in for educational