Somb (in Serer, also ''Som'' or ''Sombe'') is a town in

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

situated in the west of the country.

History

Somb figured prominently in Serer religious affairs for a long part of its history. It takes its name from the ''Somb'' tree (Latin : prosopis africana a species of prosopis) the symbol of

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

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. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

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 (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

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 tried to launch

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

against the

Serer people The Serer people (''Serer language, Serer proper'': Seereer or Sereer) are a West African ethnoreligious groupGastellu, Jean-Marc, ''Petit traité de matrilinarité. L'accumulation dans deux sociétés rurales d'Afrique de l'Ouest'', Cahiers ORST ...

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 opposite th ...

but was defeat by the King of Sine

Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof Maad a Signig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof ('' Serer:'' Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoofeen fa Maak Juuf, born circa. 1810 – 23 August 1871) was the King of Sine in modern-day Senegal. The Serer title '' Maad a Sinig'' means king of Sine, that is, ...

.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 and urban commune in Fatick Region in western Senegal, about 90 km from the capital Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, d ...

, in the region of

Fatick Fatick (; ; ) is a town and urban commune in Senegal, located between M'bour and Kaolack and inhabited by the Serer people. Its 2023 population was at 39,361. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the Fatick Department. Toponymy Its n ...

. 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 language, 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 Ser ...

, 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 pres ...

(1932–2010), the Serer

Diva Diva (, ) is the Latin word for a goddess. Diva is a name from Roman mythology, and is associated with the nouns divus, diva, which means god, goddess, and the adjective divinius, which means divine or heavenly. It has often been used to refer t ...

and

griot A griot (; ; Manding languages, Manding: or (in N'Ko script, N'Ko: , or in French spelling); also spelt Djali; or / ; ) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. Griots are masters of communicatin ...

of president

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor ( , , ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese politician, cultural theorist and poet who served as the first president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980. Ideologically an African socialist, Senghor was one ...

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