Cross Cultural Communications: Wolof

The local language here is Wolof. While most people speak both Wolof and French, their mother tongue is either Wolof or another local language and French is the language they speak at school and while conducting business. This means that while my French is really good, I still don't know what is going on around me most of the time because people socialize in Wolof. I am learning to speak Wolof very slowly and am taking classes at the University while I am here. Hopefully by the time I leave, I will be able to understand what people are saying. To give you a better idea of what Wolof sounds like below is a skit conducted in Wolof. Notice that when the foreigner comes to join the family, the language switches to French. I feel a lot like that foreigner because my presence often changes the language spoken in the room.

If you liked that skit, here is another one to watch. It also shows what the streets of Dakar are like. The men in the skit are dressed in typical Muslim clothing.