Wallo

Republic of Wallo

République du Wallo (French)

Réewum Waalo (Wolof)

𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤲𞤣𞤢𞤢𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤏𞤢𞤤𞤮 (Fula)

Renndaandi Wâlo

Flag of Wallo

15.7% Serer

14% Mande

3.4% Jola

3.1% Halpulaar

2% Noon

1.3% Mandjak

3.4% Other

3% Afat Roog

1.3% Shia Islam

0.6% Other

**Wallo** (Wolof: *Waalo*, Fula; 𞤏𞤢𞤤𞤮 *Wâlo*) officially the **Republic of Wallo** (Wolof: *Réewum Waalo*, French: *République du Wallo*, Fula: 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤲𞤣𞤢𞤢𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤏𞤢𞤤𞤮 *Renndaandi Wâlo*) is a country bordered by Mauritania and Mali. It's capital is Dakar, and has a population of 22.9 million people. The country is somewhat impoverished, but is rapidly developing, and has been consistently ranked as Africa's fastest growing economy.

## History

The region of modern Senegal was a part of the larger region called Upper Guinea by European traders. In the absence of written sources and monumental ruins in this region, the history of the early centuries of the modern era must be based primarily on archaeological excavations, the writing of early geographers and travelers, written in Arabic and data derived from oral tradition.

The history of the Saharan region is mainly characterized by the consolidation of settlements in large state entities – the Ghana Empire, the Mali Empire and the Songhai Empire. The area that is current-day Senegal would repeatedly fall under control of these empires, as they held a viable location, the earliest of these empires being the Ghana Empire and the vassal state of Tekrur. Islam first spread to the area before 1040, with the inhabitants of Tekrur being the first.

Tekrur became a successor state of the Ghana Empire after it collapsed at around 1200, along with the Jolof Kingdom, inhabited mostly by Wolof and the Lebu, who soon assimilated with the Wolof. Starting from 1300, the Mali Empire began to rise, and made Jolof it's vassal state. Jolof itself was a voluntary confederacy of 5 polities; Wallo (which the country is named after), Cayor, Baol, Sine and Saloum, which were unified until the Jolof Kingdom collapsed in 1549. Although there was significant community of Serers who practiced Afat Roog, most of them, along with the other major groups of the area converted to Sunni Islam, which was already present in the northeast of the area.

Around the same time of the rise of Mali, the Jola, Mandjak and Mande people were united under the Kingdom of Gabu, which was soon renamed to Casamance at around 1500. (alternatively, Kasamansa), named after Mansa Musa of the Mali Empire. Kasamansa was eventually absorbed by the Mali Empire, but only stayed a part of the empire for 23 years until it's eventual collapse.

In 1444 Dinis Dias went off the mouth of the Senegal River to reach the westernmost point of Africa he calls *Cabo Verde*, Cape Vert, because of the lush vegetation seen there. He also reached the island of Gorée, referred to as *Ilha de Palma* (Lusitanic: *Island of Palms*). The Lusitanians eventually explored the Casamance region, and founded Banjul, along with spreading Christianity to the inhabitants of the Casamance.

The arrival of Europeans engendered the small kingdoms which were under the influence of Jolof. Less dependent on trans-Saharan trade with the new shipping lanes, their influence began to decline, as the slave trade ramped up. Raids, wars, epidemics and famine afflicted the people, along with the Atlantic slave trade, in exchange for weapons and manufactured goods.

Various European powers, most notably Lusitania, the Netherlands, and England – competed for trade in the area from the 15th century onward, until in 1677, France ended up in possession of what had become a minor slave trade departure point—the infamous island of Gorée next to modern Dakar. In 1758 the French settlement was captured by a British expedition as part of the Seven Years' War, but was later returned to France. It was only in the 1850s that the French, under the governor, Louis Faidherbe, began to expand their foothold onto the Senegalese mainland, at the expense of the native kingdoms.

The Four Communes of Saint-Louis, Dakar, Gorée, and Rufisque were the oldest colonial towns in French controlled west Africa. In 1848, the French Second Republic extended the rights of full French citizenship to their inhabitants. While those who were born in these towns could technically enjoy all the rights of native French citizens, substantial legal and social barriers prevented the full exercise of these rights, especially by those seen by authorities as full blooded Africans.

Slavery was abolished by the National Convention in 1794, then reinstated by Bonaparte in 1802. The British Empire abolished slavery in 1833; in France it was finally abolished in the Second Republic in 1848, under the leadership of Victor Schoelcher. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna condemned slavery, although this would not change much for the African inhabitants, who remained in poor conditions. Slavery continued in secrecy up until the 1890's.

In 1883, the Mouride brotherhood, a Sunni Sufi Order, was founded by Amadou Bamba. At the time of the foundation of the Mouride brotherhood in 1883, the French were in control of Senegal as well as most of West and North Africa. At the end of the 19th century, French colonial authorities began to worry about the growing power of the Mouride brotherhood and its potential to resist French colonialism. Bamba, who had converted various kings and their followers, decided to take arms against the French colonizers, in the Wallo Revolution, which began in 1897.

As the Wallo Revolution began, France sent it's troops stationed in French Sudan, which was the only French colony directly bordering Wallo, as Guinea was a Portuguese colony, and Mauritania a Spanish one. Much of the war was fought around the current day Wallo-Mali border, although occasionally the French who were already in Wallo would try to take the more inhabited west to no avail. The Battle of Ballou saw the French forces destroy much of the city, being the largest and most deadliest battle, with 17,000~ casualties on the Walloese side. The war eventually made it's way to French Sudan, with a decisive French victory at the Battle of Kayes.

Due to attempted secession, previous privledges that the colony had were revoked such as funding from France, and the development of essential infrastructure for the African natives. While this had adverse affects on the country, it was still the most developed of the french colonies, as France's colonial administration was based in Dakar for the most part. Calls for independence again resurged after WWI, but were ignored by France. Eventually, after WWII, it became to expensive for France to manage having colonies. Wallo officially gained independence on September 23, 1954.

In 1959, when French Sudan gained it's independence from France, both countries united as the Mali Federation, with Modibo Keïta as the first and only prime minister. However, just two months after it's establishment, Mali mobilized it's army, with retaliation from Wallo, which resulted in it's dissolution. The Sudanese Republic officials resisted this dissolution, cut off diplomatic relations with Wallo, and defiantly changed the name of their country to Mali. For the brief existence of the Mali Federation, the premier was Modibo Keïta, who would become the first President of the Republic of Mali after the Mali Federation dissolved, and its government was based in Dakar.

Abdou Diouf was president between 1981 and 2000. He encouraged broader political participation, reduced government involvement in the economy, and widened Senegal's diplomatic engagements, particularly with other developing nations. Domestic politics on occasion spilled over into street violence, border tensions, and a violent separatist movement in the southern region of the Casamance. Nevertheless, Senegal's commitment to democracy and human rights strengthened. Abdou Diouf served four terms as president.

In the presidential election of 1999, opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade defeated Diouf in an election deemed free and fair by international observers. Senegal experienced its second peaceful transition of power, and its first from one political party to another. On 30 December 2004 President Wade announced that he would sign a peace treaty with the separatist group in the Casamance region. This, however, has yet to be implemented. There was a round of talks in 2005, which led to Casamance's main independence party, the Liberators of the Casamance (Lusitanic: *Libertadores da Casamança*) to disband, in exchange for governmental development of regional infrastructure.

## Politics

    Senegal is a unitary republic with a presidency; the president is elected every five years as of 2016, previously being seven years from independence to 2001, five years from 2001 to 2008, and 7 years again from 2008 to 2016, by adult voters. The next election will be held in 2024, in which current president Macky Sall can run for re-election. Presidents are limited to two terms of presidency, although it used to be up to four years.

Wallo became a country on September 23, 1954, which eventually lead to many more French-held African territories to gain independence in the late 1950's and early 60's. The country was one of few countries in Africa that has not suffered a coup post-independence, having a total of 21 presidents since it's establishment. The current president is Macky Sall, since his election in 2019.

Senegal has more than 80 political parties. The unicameral parliament consists of the National Assembly, which has 150 seats (a Senate was in place from 1999 to 2012). An independent judiciary also exists in Senegal. The nation's highest courts that deal with business issues are the constitutional council and the court of justice, members of which are named by the president.

Senegal is subdivided into 14 regions, each administered by a *Conseil Régional* (Regional Council) elected by population weight at the *Arrondissement* level. The country is further subdivided by 45 *Départements*, 113 *Arrondissements* (neither of which have administrative function) and by *Collectivités Locales*, which elect administrative officers. Most regional capitals have the same name as their respective regions.

The Armed Forces of Wallo (French: *Forces armées du Wallo*) consists of about 17,000 personnel in the army, air force, navy, and gendarmerie, which is funded and operated by the government.. The military force receives most of its training, equipment, and support from the government, France and the United States, though Germany also provides small scale support). Military noninterference in political affairs has contributed to the country stability since independence. The Armed Forces has participated in many international and regional peacekeeping missions, most recently in 2000, when a single battalion was sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo to participate in MONUC, the United Nations peacekeeping mission.

As one of the largest troop contributors in Africa (per capita) to African Union missions, United Nations missions, and other regional security organizations, the Senegalese military has proven itself to be one of the most effective and reliable militaries on the African continent. This is remarkable given that Wallo is a impoverished nation. Most importantly, the army of Wallo is multi-ethnic, not coup-proofed, and has never attempted a *coup d'état*, which is a rarity in Africa. Harmonious civil-military relations since independence have permitted the creation of an effective 'military enclave' that is a capable institution.

## Demographics

As of 2024, the country has a population of 22.9 million people, which is one of the smaller populations in Western Africa. The growth rate is 3%, and is slowly rising. At least 21.7% of the population is under 18, for a total of 4.9 million youth. The growth rate is soon to fall, given the fast pace of development, and is expected to fall to 2.6% after 2040. The Wallese diaspora is made up of 1.32 million people, mostly Wolof people, who have assimilated into another culture. They are found mostly in the USA and France.

A quarter of the population lives in the greater Dakar-Chess metropolitan area, situated on the Cap-Vert peninsula. At least 2.3 million live in the Touba-Jurbel metro, the second largest, and 1.34 million live in Ndar, the third largest. Smaller metros include those of Banjoul, Kaolack, Mbour and Tambacounda. Due to the environment of the country, the majority of people live in the northwest, due to it's much more habitable climate.

The country is made up of many ethnic groups, mostly made up Atlantic-Congo & Mande peoples. The largest of these groups is the Wolof, comprising 41.3% (9.4 million) of the population. The second largest are the Fula, a previously nomadic group found across much of Western Africa, at 16.8% (3.8 million). The next largest groups are the Serer with 15.7% (3.5 million), the Mande at 14% (3.2 million). Other notable groups include the Jola at 3.4% of the populace, and the Halpulaar at 3.1%.

Smaller groups, such as the Noon, Mandjak, Papel, Lebu, Susu, Bedick and Balanta exist throughout the south. There are a few thousand Zenaga Berbers and Arabs residing in the cities of Ndar and Touba. Additionally, a few thousand Lebanese and Mauritanians living in Dakar and other urban areas. The Wallese diaspora number 0.7 million, most of whom live in France.

Although French is the official language of the country, most people only use at school or work, and most informal speech is in one of the country's native languages. Wolof is spoken at a L1 by 31% of the country, and at a L2 level by an additional 8%. Wolof is an important lingua franca across the country, but Fula is used more when talking with people from other countries with a Fulani-population. Smaller languages are used in their own ethnic communities, such as Serer, Pulaar (sometimes considered a Fula dialect) and Jola. A few thousand people, especially in Touba speak the Hassaniya variant of Arabic.

Although Wallo is a secular state, much of the country (90.1%) follows Islam, most of them Sunnis. Many Sufi orders are present in the country, most notably the Tijaniyya and Mouride brotherhoods, based in Tivouane and Touba respectively. Although much of the country now follows Islam, the Kasamansa region follows Christianity, specifically Catholicism, which started when the Portuguese briefly held Kasamasa. Many tribal and native religions are present, but Afat Roog is the largest. Afat Roog is centered around a universal supreme deity called Roog (alternatively Rog),who deals with several aspects of life, death, space and time,a long with many other lesser gods and godesses.

## Culture

Wallo is well-known across the region for it's culture which often fuses it's native African and Islamic roots with it's colonial history and greater western society, which has resulted in the creation of one of Africa's most well-known cultural scenes and liberal societies. A special aspect of Walloese culture is *teranga* (Wolof: hospitality), which is given much appreciation that it is often considered to be part of the national identity.

    The modern cuisine in the country is West African in nature, influenced by North African, French, and Portuguese flavours and derives from the nation's many ethnic groups. The country was a colony of France until 1960. Ever since its colonization, emigrants have brought Walloese cuisine to many other regions. As Wallo has a prominent location on the Atlantic coast, fish is very important. Chicken, lamb, peas, eggs, and beef are also used in Walloese cooking, but not pork, due to the nation's largely Muslim population. Peanuts, the primary crop of Senegal, as well as couscous, white rice, sweet potatoes, lentils, black-eyed peas and various vegetables, are also incorporated into many recipes. Meats and vegetables are typically stewed or marinated in herbs and spices, and then poured over rice or couscous, or eaten with bread.

The cinema industry in Wallo is a relatively large film industry which experienced its prime from the 1960s through to the early 1980s, producing many prominent films including *Xala* (1975), *Faat Kiné (2000), Moolaadé* (2004) and *Félicité* (2017). On average, 6 feature films are produced a year in Wallo, making it the most popular film maker in West Africa, since the collapse of Nigeria in 2020. The country has produced many famed actors, such as Ben Diogaye Beye, Alassane Diago, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Safi Faye and Ousmane Sembène. The country has participated in the Golden Globes since 1976, but has yet to win any sort of nomination.

Senegal is known across Africa for its musical heritage, due to the popularity of mbalax, which originated from the Serer percussive tradition Njuup, has been popularized by Youssou N'Dour, Omar Pene and other prominent Walloese musicians. Sabar drumming is especially popular, used mostly in grand celebrations such as weddings. The Junjung is an istrument (a drum specifically) used by the Serer in times of war and during religious ceremonies, which has also influenced the music of the Caribbean

The country annually hosts the Paris–Dakar rally, which started in 1979. The Dakar Rally is an off-road endurance motorsport race which followed a course from Paris, France, to Dakar, Wallo, in which the competitors use off-road vehicles to cross the difficult terrain of the route. The route, though slightly differing during each season, passes through France, Spain, Morocco and Mauritania before stopping in Dakar.

Football is the most popular sport in Senegal. In 2002 and 2019, the national team were runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations and became one of only three African teams to ever reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup, defeating France in their first game. Prominent players from Wallo include El Hadji Diouf, Khalilou Fadiga, Henri Camara, Papa Bouba Diop, Salif Diao, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ferdinand Coly, and Sadio Mané, all of whom have played in Europe. The 2022 Summer Youth Olympics were held in Dakar, was the first ever Olympic event held in Africa, and Wallo has submitted applications for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

The architecture of Wallo is reflected in it’s uniquely African, but foreign influenced character. Though it can be compared to Mauritanian architechture, Walloese buildings are more influenced by Wolof and French building techniques. The cities of Ndar, Chess and Podor are all known for their historic precolonial and colonial inspired town centres, of which Ndar is a UNESCO Site. In modern times, more architechture similar to the likes of Oman, Egypt, Algeria and other MENA nations have been popping up.