"There is one God, not two"

I met the Khalif, Serigne Bara, two years ago in Touba and now he is gone to meet our maker. He gave me one of the most straightforward lessons in ecumenicism I have ever received. I was a Catholic in Touba, the holy city of the Mouride Islamic brotherhood. When I left California my children were terrified that I would be beheaded because I was going to an Islamic country. I didn't have quite that impression, but I was unprepared for just how opposite the reality is from that notion in Senegal, one of the safest, most tolerant places I have ever been (far more than America in some ways)... And it was the Khalif, at that time not long in his position as the leader of the large and powerful Mouride sect, who epitomized that tolerance. I will never forget his blessing to me: "May you find God in Touba; there is only one God and not two." His blessing was realized because I found myself that much closer to a God that is the same God for me and my Muslim brothers and sisters. My hopes go out to the Mourides that Serigne Bara's successor is as holy and astute as his predecessor, who I expect to meet in the one heaven that awaits us.

Slow start for SenIran

The Wall Street Journal today says the joint Senegal-Iran auto venture, SenIran, has fallen far short of it production goals. Last year Dakar decreed the phase out the 25,000-or-so colorful taxi/buses that have been one of Dakar's best known international symbols. They were to be replaced by the shiny new cabs produced by the joint Iranian factory. In today's front-page Journal article, plans to have 2,000 of the SenIran cabs resulted in only 500 on the street... And the $75 millon Theis SenIran factory that opened last year has only produced 20 of the 10,000 cars it had planned to produce this year... Parts, labor and construction delays (the usual) caused the problems according to the Journal's report, which states that sources acknowledge the venture, one of others around the world, has other goals besides profit... The article also mentions that it was Iranians who ran the power lines to Touba recently, including probably those who I met during my Spring, 2008 visit to the Holy City.

Public concern raised regarding "pots of wine" (bribes) in Senegal

An article in today's SudQuotidien expressed public concern over Senegal's drop on the 2008 "corruption index" produced by Transparency International. Although Senegal is not among the most corrupt on the index, its position fell considerably on the 2008 index...

Construction companies and public works of major exporting countries in Senegal "are identified as most likely to pay bribes to the authorities of host countries," according to the 2008 corruption index. One way to understand the increase in "pots-de-vin" (bribes) is the source of bribes. Transparency International also indexed the countries with the companies most likely to offer bribes. The worst, in order, were Russia, China, Mexico and India.

Senegal does significant business with both China and India. China is engaged in major infrastructure projects, especially around Touba. As we have noted before, India's trade with Senegal has skyrocked in the last five years to lead all others.

The solution Transparency International recommends is, naturally, transparency. Major bidding processes and results should be made public. It cited recent mining deals as an example.

The SudQuotidien article calls increasing corruption a "trap." Rightly so. The well known corrolary to the corruption index is the poverty index--the more corruption, the less likely that a country will develop economically.

The Khalife guarantees that Touba work continues

The massive intrastructure and public improvements underway in Touba continue, according to the Khalife of the Mourides, by way of a news report. He assures that the water system infrastructure and other projects were never stalled.

The Khalife, Serigne Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Mbacké, took efforts to emphasize the cooperation of the Holy City with the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade:

"The water project has started. Again, we are in step with the president because he had given the sum of seven billion CFA francs. Then he comes back three and a half billion for drilling, pipes, fountains throughout the city."

Addressing reports that the work had been stopped for lack of funding, the Khalife was reported to state: "The work has never been suspended. Those who say they do not know anything."

Since President Wade showed up with the payments in his recent visit to Touba, relations with the Holy City appear to have warmed up considerably. This at a time when the president is facing political opposition.

Government money appears in Touba in advance of President Wade's visit

President Abdoulaye's visit tomorrow to the Mourides' holy city of Touba has been greased by finally funding Touba infrastructure projects. The President needs to spread the goodwill, according to today's article in L'Observateur. The sacking of Macky Sall, leader of the Senegalese parliament is apparently fomenting ill feeling toward the president and the Mourides are backing off from their support for the President... Those sore feelings may be assauged somewhat by the reported payment this month to Chinese contractors working in Touba of 3.6 billion CFA francs. According to L'Observateur sources, 2 billion CFA francs were received by Hénan China and 1.6 billion by another company. Work on Touba infrastructure has been restarted, although Chinese and local employment on the projects is still far below the scheduled need... L'Observateur sources with the Khalife say they'll push for more funding for the projects from the President's central government. As we noted here earlier, Touba sent billions of francs (much of it raised abroad) to the central government, where it disappeared for quite awhile. The Khalife took up the matter in a visit to Dakar earlier this year. Only 30 percent of the contract Touba infrastructure has been completed.

Chinese leaving Touba?

Chinese contractors in Touba may be poised to exit. According to news reports today Henan China is due 12 billion CFA francs in receipts, wages are not being paid and Touba workers--about 250--are set to strike, and even to ransack the Chinese offices.

As noted here before, millions of dollars sent to the central government in Dakar from Touba went missing over the last year. This apparently in some significant part precipitated the Khalif of the Mourides to visit President Wade a couple months back.

The troubles of the Chinese may be elicting delight in some quarters, and moves to assume their work. But the situation does not reflect well on the ability of Touba and Senegal to utilize the capital and technical assistance of other countries. The political problems, murky finances and labor turmoil could thwart Touba's need to obtain modern infrastructure. Still, some are doubtless aware of the irony that the Chinese may be reaping what they sowed.

Touba tax base could support infrastructure

I'm wondering whether Touba organized a tax base. It will be difficult for the Holy City of the Mourides to have infrastructure and services such as garbage collection without means to identify and administer a revenue system.

In 2005, the Arizon company STC created a land management and tax support system, SIGGIL, for Touba. The system created the ability (with GIS) to create and distribute land ownership titles to over 100,000 citizens. SIGGIL enabled the local government to levy the first taxation in Touba. According to the company website (www.stchome.com):

"Scientific Technologies Corporation (STC), an Arizona corporation established in 1988, provides domain expertise and information technology solutions to address complex real world problems in community, regional, state/provincial, and national public health programs... "

According to internet reports the software was delivered. I'll follow up to see if it was implemented... Senegal sources report that the Khalif has succeeded in generating tax revenue. (See previous posts about some of those funds disappearing in Dakar)...

My "Visit Senegal" recommendations

Friday, April 18, 2008

We sat tonight under a full moon in the courtyard of Mamemor’s mother’s compound. Later we walked by the Mbacke family mosque, the towers glowing under the moonlight. A side street along the way was filled with drum-driven singing, and I could see the people filling the street dancing in the Senegalese fashion, wide aggressive stepping punctuated with wild rhythmic arm waving and body movements. At one point much of the group danced in loose unison in a single direction to the beat… It’s Friday and drumming, loudspeakers and crowds were fairly commonplace, although I have avoided the gatherings. But when Mamemor mentioned that the group dancing in the street was Baye Fall, I asked excitedly about going over to watch. “No, you don’t want to do that,” he said. “Those kids can get crazy.”

With our plans for Saint Louis abandoned due to delays leaving, I settled back comfortably in Le Baol, attended to very well by the hotel manager “C.D.”. The baol are fashioned after the thatch bungalows inhabited by the rural, pastoral Senegalese…

Tourism came up repeatedly today. The hotel’s owner, M. Mbaye, is a friend of Mamemor’s. I was introduced and caught pieces of their conversation about M. Mbaye’s efforts to promote Senegal tourism. Mamemor’s concerns about the conflicts between the religious population here and the values of tourists came up. Later, this evening, while sitting with Mamemor’s family under the moon, with a perfect cooling breeze keeping away the mosquitoes, while drinking the delicious, milkshake-like juice of the baobab tree, the conversation turned to what-should-be Senegal’s appeal to tourists—the beaches, the welcoming, smiling people, the culture. The main obstacles, I commented, seem to be two: promotion and garbage. Some Americans, well-traveled or curious like my friend Ron, know of Senegal and its culture, usually through the music. But a mass-media Senegal tourism promotion campaign in the States is needed to change the common American misperceptions of Africa, especially of Muslim Africa. I think African-Americans would especially enjoy Senegal. Mamemor doesn’t think so; he thinks they are even more wary of Africa than most Americans—“they want to go to Europe like everybody else.” Maybe, maybe not…

The garbage is another matter. The beauty of the beaches is utterly ruined by the garbage. A person’s first impression of the town of Diourbel is the sea of garbage strewn at its gateway. The Dakar golf course at Technopol will never be what it could when ringed by a wall of garbage. If American tourists came here, the garbage would unfortunately confirm the pre-impressions of backwardness and poor services.

So—a “visit Senegal” ad campaign, clean up the garbage—viola, a multi-million-dollar tourism industry. And one more thing: wireless modems. The tourism ministry would do well to ship in a few containers of Linksys wireless modems to distribute and install in all the hotels. And keep the DSL up!

I meet the Khalif

Thursday, April 17, 2008

We saw the Khalif today—what an intense experience! …For the second day, there has been no ADSL to connect to the internet throughout the area. Apparently the problem is with the phone system Sonatel—not a good reflection on the infrastructure. While going into town to check the connection at the cybercafé I had the good luck to find one of the commune’s garbage trucks and to speak with its crew. I found out that the commune operates four trucks, one of them apparently a packer. The small donkey carts bring much of the waste to the trucks. They then go to a dump. Mustafa found out from them where the dump is and we will go there another time… But first we had to get to Touba because, as I found, seeing the Khalif is not just making an appointment… I had thought to wear the grand bou-bou that I had purchased from Soda’s nephew yesterday. But Mamemor said that I might look too much like one of the hippies that hang out around the Grand Mosque smoking pot, and often wearing Baye Fall bou-bous. His general thought was that if I was there as an American businessman, I should look like one. Thus attired, we headed for Touba…

Touba is much as I expected—sprawling with many newer improvements, as much of the growth of the city has occurred in recent years. The City Hall looked new and modern. There is plenty of capital sent here from abroad, both from ex-patriot Mourides and foreign governments, especially the Chinese. There are a noticeably higher proportion of Mercedes cars in Touba… We only had time to drive around the Grand Mosque before heading to the Khalif’s compound.

Once at the Khalif’s compound it was apparent that I wasn’t the only one wanting to see the Khalif… The Khalif is like the Pope to the Mourides, and so, like Saint Peter’s Square in Rome, you will find crowds of the faithful there to see the Khalif, staged in various rooms, with the place permeated by the constant sing-shouting of Islamic praying. One of the main rooms was full of women and children. There was a courtyard with classes of schoolchildren. At one point we were staged in a room full of men of some apparent significance sitting around on the floor. As we wound our way here and there, various people would come to bring us another step closer. Mamemor’s friend the albino seemed to have quite a bit of pull, and he had others working the system to advance me. The maneuvering became much more intense once we got in the room where the Khalif was sitting. I moved seat-by-seat closer to the end of the room where he sat. The closer I got, the more intense was the jostling. The room was not large, maybe 20 feet by 40 feet, if that. The seats were along one side. As a Westerner I think it was expected that I sat in the seats. I was waved to one of the seats closest to those pushing and shoving to see the Khalif. I had to be careful; one man stumbling back clipped me in the throat with his hand. I started to worry about banging my still-vulnerable jaw. A noisy anxious babble was constant. I couldn’t see the Khalif from where I was sitting… This was actually a quiet day; the weekends are much worse… Soon we got the wave from somebody up by the Khalif. As I now know there are plenty of plain-clothes soldiers, government informants and watchful, if not envious, eyes around always. A little more jostling and I was put in the one chair next to the Khalif. He gave some recognition that I was there but still had to heed those others in front of him clawing for blessing and recognition. Every so often he would give a blessing, writing something with his finger in the palms placed up before him, and (as I found out later) spraying a little spittle which the believers immediately wiped on their forehead. This went on for awhile and then Mamemor got his attention. The Khalif is elderly, wearing a blue knit hat. We had a pleasant exchange with the Khalif about what I could do for Senegal and what he could do to help. I remember at one point it got very quiet—the whole place. I’m not sure why; the discussion wasn’t especially significant at that point. It was sort of eerie. The commotion renewed shortly… The Khalif will review my information and indicated that we would talk again soon, with less distraction…

At the conclusion of our talk, I asked for the Khalif’s blessing. He gave the very slightest smile of surprise, but readily wrote on my palm with his finger; Mamemor quickly translated: “May you find God in Touba. There is only one God, not two.” I felt the faint spray of the spittle and wiped it on my forehead…

It looks like I am at the hotel here in Mbacke again tonight. The toilet in the other room didn’t work, so I have another room. The toilet works fine. We had lunch at Mamemor’s mom’s. Café Touba at Soda’s and I will go back to mom’s for dinner soon… I am somewhat homesick; halfway through my trip. I think it best to hang out here for tomorrow. Maybe head back to Dakar via Petit Cote Saturday to get ready for the business week next…

We recently came across an interesting summary of the development of Touba and its fascinating connection with global commerce while maintaining its unique character. The link is:

http://llnw.creamermedia.co.za/articles/attachments/01378_africancity.pdf

The article compares three West African cities which exploded over recent decades. Here's one of the insightful excerpts about Touba:

"More than half of all Touba households are described as primarily active in commerce and here imports and a consumer economy tied to the outer world, is especially significant. International remittances account for a huge share of income while the importation and dispersal of industrially produced goods from the whole world have taken over the Senegalese economy, so weak in “internationally competitive” productive activity. Touba makes sense as a town only if one starts to take stock of one major aspect of globalisation—the large-scale temporary or permanent movement of Africans, notably West Africans, to all corners of the globe, together with the decline in productive local activity."