Somb (in

Serer Serer may refer to: * Serer people * Serer language * Serer religion *Rafael Calvo Serer Rafael Calvo Serer (born 6 October 1916 at Valencia, Spain, died 19 April 1988 at Pamplona, Navarra, Spain) was a Professor of History of Spanish Philosophy, a ...

, also ''Som'' or ''Sombe'') is a town in

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣� ...

situated in the west of the country.

History

Somb figure prominently in Serer religious affairs for a long part of its history. It takes its name from the ''Somb'' tree (Latin :

prosopis africana ''Prosopis africana'' is a flowering plant species in the genus Fabaceae. It is found in Africa. Its common names include African mesquite, iron tree, ''gele'' ( Malinke) (traditional djembe wood) or ''somb'' tree. In the Serer creation myth, i ...

a species of

prosopis ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Western Asia, and South Asia. They often thrive in ...

) the symbol of

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immort ...

in the

Serer creation myth The Serer creation myth is the traditional creation myth of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. Many Serers who adhere to the tenets of the Serer religion believe these narratives to be sacred. Some aspects of Serer religious ...

. Gravrand, Henry, "La Civilisation Sereer - ''Pangool''", vol. 2. Les Nouvelles Editions

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

ines du

(1990), pp 199-200, The Somb tree was used for burial purposes. The wood is very strong and resistant to rot. It is the wood found in many of the Serer

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or '' kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones b ...

which are still intact after a thousand years.

The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune (or Thiouthiogne), also known as the Battle of Somb or the Battle of Somb-Tioutioune, occurred on 18 July 1867.Sarr, Alioune. ''Histoire du Sine-Saloum.'' Introduction, bibliographie et Notes par Charles Becker ...

(18 July 1867) more commonly known as ''the Battle of Somb'' took place in the vicinity of this town. In that battle,

Maba Diakhou Bâ Maba Diakhou Bâ (1809 – July 1867), also known as Ma Ba Diakhu, Ma Ba Diakho Ba, Ma Ba Jaaxu, Mabba Jaxu Ba, was a Muslim leader in West Africa during the 19th century. Born in Rip, Maba was a disciple of the Tijaniyya Sufi brotherhood and bec ...

tried to launch

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

against the

Serer people The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.

Sine In mathematics, sine and cosine are trigonometric functions of an angle. The sine and cosine of an acute angle are defined in the context of a right triangle: for the specified angle, its sine is the ratio of the length of the side that is opp ...

but was defeat by the King of Sine

Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof Maad a Signig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof (variations : Mad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, Mad a Sinig Coumba Ndoffène Fa mak Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf I, Maat Sine Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, etc. - c. 1810 � ...

.Klein, Martin A., ''Islam and Imperialism in Senegal. Sine-Saloum 1847-1914'', p90. Edinburgh University Press (1968).

Administration

Somb is a town in the Département of

Gossas Gossas is a town in Fatick Region in western Senegal, about 90 km from the capital. Transport The town is served by a station on the Dakar-Niger Railway. See also * Transport in Senegal * Railway stations in Senegal References

...

, in the region of

Fatick Fatick ( wo, Fatik, srr, Fatik) is a town in Senegal, located between M'bour and Kaolack and inhabited by the Serer people. Its 2005 population was estimated at 24,243. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the Fatick Department. Topo ...

. It is part of the rural community of Patar Lia.

Geography

The nearest towns are Djilassene, Ndiayene, Ndiok Doumaleourou, Dok, Kodieri, Koral and the two historical towns of

Fandène Fandène ( Serer : Fanđan, or Fandane or Mbel Fandane) is a small village in Senegal about 7 km from Thiès. It is inhabited by the Serer people. History Fandène or Fandane was one of the villages of the precolonial Serer Kingdom of ...

, Tioutoune (or

Thiouthioune Thiouthioune (in Serer) is a village in Senegal (rural community of Diakhao, Fatick Region) located in the pre-colonial Serer Kingdom of Sine. The current population is estimated at 763. The Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune (18 July 1867) commonly ...

Notable people

Yandé Codou Sène Yandé Codou Sène (also ''Yande Codou Sene'') was a Senegalese singer from the Serer ethnic group. She was born in 1932 at Somb in the Sine-Saloum delta and died on July 15, 2010 at Gandiaye in Sénégal. She was the official griot of pre ...

(1932–2010), the Serer

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

and

griot A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

of president

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician of ...

Notes

External links

* Ba-Curry, Ginette. In Search of Maba: A 19th Century Epic from Senegambia, West Africa (Preface of the Play by Edris Makward, Emeritus Professor of African Literature, Univ of Wisconsin, USA), Phoenix Press International, Maryland, 2011 ategory: Drama

Maps, weather and airports for Somb

Somb on PEPAM site
Serer holy places Serer country {{Senegal-geo-stub