GUIDE OF SÉDHIOU - Cesie

insisting or remember your ignorance the next time they meet
you and feel insulted. People are taken aback if you do not
greet first before beginning a conversation, even if you just
want to ask a question. Greeting serves as an icebreaker and
will make the person you greet feel better disposed toward
you. “Ca va?” (shortened phrase from “Comment ca va?”) is
the most heard phrase from morning till evening, it stands for
“How are you?” in French. Greeting in a local language
(originally from Arabic language) is recommended "Salam
aleikum" (“Peace be with you”) and the answer “Aleikum
salam” (“With you the peace”). Or in the local language of
Mandink: “I be heera do?” (“Do you have the peace?) and the
answer: “Heera dorong” (“I have the peace”). But a French
“Bonjour” (“Good morning/day”) or “Bonsoir” (“Good
evening”) will always do.
Greetings are crucial in Senegal and their important should
never be underestimated. Exchanging greetings each time you
meet someone, even if it is later in the same day, is pivotal to
maintaining good relationships. You are expected to exchange
lengthy inquiries into the health and well being of the other
person and their family before asking any other question or
beginning a discussion. For foreigners, these greetings may
seem a meaningless waste of time, because they are always
the same and quite lengthy. You may also be baffled to see a
Senegalese doing something you consider "really important"
stop everything to spend ten minutes greeting a friend s/he
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