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Bonconto Commune
Bonconto Commune is a rural community of Bonconto Arrondissement in the Vélingara Department, Kolda Region, Senegal. It is also spelled Bonkonto. The commune is known as a major center of Shia Islam in Senegal and is home to the Al Hassanayni Grand Mosque of Darou Hidjiratou, the largest mosque in the commune. Darou Hidjiratou is significant as the birthplace of a prominent Shi'i Muslim family in Senegal, which includes the village leader Cherif Habib Aidara (Chérif Habibou Aïdara) and his brother Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara, founder of the international NGO Mozdahir. Demographics Demographics of Bonconto Rural Community: *9,688 persons (year 2010) *5,416 (year 1988) 9 ethnic groups were counted in 2010, with Fulani making up most of the population. *Peul (Fulani) (73%) * Manding (8%) *Bassari (6%) * Bambara (4%) *Remaining ethnic groups: Koniagui, Diola, Mandiack, Diankhanké, Koroboro Zones and villages Zones and villages in Bonconto Commune: Notable people Darou Hi ...
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Rural Communities Of Senegal
Rural communities (''Communautés rurales'') (CR) are the fourth-level administrative divisions in Senegal. They are administrative subdivisions comprising the villages, but are distinct from the urban communes and municipalities concerning medium or large towns. Senegal is a predominantly agricultural country, and the rural communities by far encompass the largest part of the national territory. Law The rural communities were imposed by the law No. 72.25 on 19 April 1972. Until early 2008, there were about 324 rural communities but in August 2008 the number has increased and there are now about 340. Dakar Region * Bambylor * Tivaouane Peulh-Niaga * Yène Diourbel Region Bambey Department * Baba Garage * Dinguiraye * Keur Samba Kane * Gawane * Lambaye * Ngogom * Réfane * Dangalma * Ndondol * Ngoye * Thiakar Diourbel Department * Dankh Sène * Gade Escale * Keur Ngalgou * Ndindy *Taiba Moutoupha * Ndoulo * Ngohé * Patar * Tocky-Gare *Touré Mbonde Mbacke Department *Dar ...
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Cherif Habib Aidara
Darou Hidjiratou (also spelled Darou Hijratou or Darou Idjiratou) is a village and zone in Bonconto Commune, Bonconto Arrondissement, Vélingara Department of Kolda Region in south Senegal. As a major center of Shia Islam in Senegal, it is home to the Al Hassanayni Grand Mosque of Darou Hidjiratou, the largest mosque in Bonconto Arrondissement. Darou Hijiratou Zone is made up of 8 villages: Darou Hijiratou (Darou Idjiratou), Amanatoulaye, Fass, Afia, Pakinia Sinthiang, Pakinia Paoundé, Hamdalaye Kouta, Moundou Sankoulé. Darou Hijiratou village has approximately 1,580 persons (year 2010). Notable people The village is locally well known as the birthplace of a prominent Shi'i Muslim family in Senegal, including Bonconto Commune leader Cherif Habib Aidara and his brother Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara, founder of the international NGO Mozdahir. The village was named Darou Hidjiratou (Dar El Hijra, 'the house of immigration') by Cherif Al-Hassane Aidara, the father of Cherif Mohamed ...
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Manjak People
Manjak people or the Manjaco (Manjak: French: Mandjak; Portuguese: Manjaco; Wolof: Njaago; Jola: Manjago) are a West African ethnic group who primarily reside in Guinea-Bissau with smaller communities in The Gambia, Portugal, and Senegal. The Manjaco constitute about 14% of the population of Guinea-Bissau. Within Guinea-Bissau, the people primarily live in the Bassarel and Babok areas in the northern coastal Cacheu Region. Language The Manjak language is classified as part of the Bak languages, which is a branch of Niger–Congo. History Pre-colonization Based early Portuguese records and observations, the Manjaco power structure and society was robust and well established. The people lived in a semi-feudal system where villages were under the subjugation of a leader and that leader reported to the king of the Bassarel and Babok areas, referred to as the King of Bassarel. The king of Bassarel presided over a federation of areas some of which were more prosperous and ...
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Dyula People
The Dyula (Dioula or Juula) are a Mande ethnic group inhabiting several West African countries, including Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. Characterized as a highly successful merchant caste, ''Dyula'' migrants began establishing trading communities across the region in the fourteenth century. Since business was often conducted under non-Muslim rulers, the ''Dyula'' developed a set of theological principles for Muslim minorities in non-Muslim societies. Their unique contribution of long-distance commerce, Islamic scholarship and religious tolerance were significant factors in the peaceful expansion of Islam in West Africa. Historical background The Mandé embraced Islam during the thirteenth century following introduction to the faith through contact with the North African traders. By the 14th century, the Malian empire (c.1230-1600) had reached its apogee, acquiring a considerable reputation for the Islamic rulings of its court and the pilgrimages of several ...
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Bambara People
The Bambara ( bm, ߓߡߊߣߊ߲, italics=no, ''Bamana'' or ''Banmana'') are a Mandé ethnic group native to much of West Africa, primarily southern Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal. They have been associated with the historic Bambara Empire. Today they make up the largest Mandé ethnic group in Mali, with 80% of the population speaking the Bambara language, regardless of ethnicity. Ethnonym According to the ''Encyclopedia of Africa'', "Bambara" means "believer" or "infidel"; the group acquired the name because it resisted Islam after the religion was introduced in 1854 by Tukulor conqueror El Hadj Umar Tall." History The Bamana originated as a royal section of the Mandinka people. They are founders of the Mali Empire in the 13th Century. Both Manding and Bambara are part of the Mandé ethno-linguistic group, whose divergence is dated to at least about 7,000 years ago, and branches of which are associated with sites near Tichitt (now subsumed by the Sahara in sout ...
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Bassari People
The Bassari are people who live in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The total population is between 10,000 and 30,000. Most of the Bassari are concentrated on either side of the Senegal-Guinea border southwest of Kedougou, Kédougou Region. This areas is referred to in French as ''Pays Bassari'', or ''liyan'' in the Bassari language. Religious belief The Bassari speak a Tenda language, ''o-niyan''. They refer to themselves as ''a-liyan'', pl. ''bi-liyan''. Most of the group are animists, with a significant minority of Christians (both Catholic and Protestant). Very few Bassari are Muslims. They have close relations with the Fula people centered locally in the nearby hills of the Fouta Djallon. The Bassari are subsistence farmers for the most part, growing rice, millet, earth-peas and fonio. They also migrate to the cities and towns of Senegal and Guinea in the dry season in search of wage-labor, using the money they earn to buy household equipment, clothing and other ...
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Mandinka People
The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, the Gambia and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnic-linguistic groups in Africa. They speak the Manding languages in the Mande language family and a '' lingua franca'' in much of West Africa. Over 99% of Mandinka adhere to Islam. They are predominantly subsistence farmers and live in rural villages. Their largest urban center is Bamako, the capital of Mali. The Mandinka are the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita, who founded an empire that would go on to span a large part of West Africa. They migrated west from the Niger River in search of better agricultural lands and more opportunities for conquest. Nowadays, the Mandinka inhabit the West Sudanian savanna region extending from The Gambia and the Casamance region in Sene ...
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Fula People
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, and regions near the Red Sea coast in Sudan. The approximate number of Fula people is unknown due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity. Various estimates put the figure between 25 and 40 million people worldwide. A significant proportion of the Fula – a third, or an estimated 12 to 13 million – are pastoralists, and their ethnic group has the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world., Quote: The Fulani form the largest pastoral nomadic group in the world. The Bororo'en are noted for the size of their cattle herds. In addition to fully nomadic groups, however, there are also semisedentary Fulani —Fu ...
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Mozdahir
Mozdahir (also known as the ''Mozdahir International Institute''; French name: Institut Mozdahir International or IMI) is an international non-governmental organization based in Dakar, Senegal. Overview It has branches in different African countries, such as Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, and other countries. Mozdahir was founded in 2000 by Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara, one of the main Shi'i religious leaders of Senegal. The NGO works on development projects relating to education, health, agriculture, environment, reforestation, and solar energy, and has partnered with other major NGOs such as the World Food Programme. Mozdahir is headquartered in Dakar, near the University of Dakar's campus. The NGO's main campus in Dakar includes a library and educational facilities. Mozdahir also has a quarterly magazine, regularly hosts conferences, and hosts a radio station called Mozdahir FM 93.2 in Guédiawaye, Dakar, which is the only Shi'i radio station c ...
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Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara
Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara is a Senegalese-Mauritanian Shia religious leader who is known for his work on international development in West Africa. He is one of the primary Shia religious figures in Senegal and West Africa. Early life and family Of mixed Mauritanian and Fulani descent, Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara was born in 1959 in Darou Hidjiratou, a village in Bonconto Commune, Kolda Region, southern Senegal that was founded by his father. His father is Cherif Al-Hassane Aidara, a Mauritanian man from the Al Lakhal branch of the Laghlal tribe of Mauritania who claims descent from Cherif Moulaye Idriss of the Idrisid dynasty, while his mother is Maimouna Diao, a Senegalese Peul (Fulani) woman from the Diao clan. As a Senegalese '' sharif'', Aidara claims direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad (see silsila). After completing traditional Islamic education in Senegal, much of which was taught by his father, Aidara continued his education at the Alliance française in Paris, ...
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Darou Hidjiratou
Darou Hidjiratou (also spelled Darou Hijratou or Darou Idjiratou) is a village and zone in Bonconto Commune, Bonconto Arrondissement, Vélingara Department of Kolda Region in south Senegal. As a major center of Shia Islam in Senegal, it is home to the Al Hassanayni Grand Mosque of Darou Hidjiratou, the largest mosque in Bonconto Arrondissement. Darou Hijiratou Zone is made up of 8 villages: Darou Hijiratou (Darou Idjiratou), Amanatoulaye, Fass, Afia, Pakinia Sinthiang, Pakinia Paoundé, Hamdalaye Kouta, Moundou Sankoulé. Darou Hijiratou village has approximately 1,580 persons (year 2010). Notable people The village is locally well known as the birthplace of a prominent Shi'i Muslim family in Senegal, including Bonconto Commune leader Cherif Habib Aidara and his brother Cherif Mohamed Aly Aidara, founder of the international NGO Mozdahir. The village was named Darou Hidjiratou (Dar El Hijra, 'the house of immigration') by Cherif Al-Hassane Aidara, the father of Cherif Moha ...
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Regions Of Senegal
Senegal is subdivided into 14 regions (French: ''régions'', singular''région''), each of which is administered by a ''Conseil Régional'' (pl.: ''Conseils Régionaux'') elected by population weight at the arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'' ... level. Senegal is further subdivided into 45 departments, 103 arrondissements (neither of which have administrative function) and by ''collectivités locales'' (the 14 ''regions'', 110 ''communes'', and 320 ''communautés rurales'') which elect administrative officers.List of current local elected officials
from Union des ''Associations d’ Elus Locaux (UAEL) du ...
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