TheSenegambia (other names:Senegambia region orSenegambian zone,[1]Senegàmbi inWolof andPulaar,Senegambi inSerer) is, in the narrow sense, a historical name for a geographical region inWest Africa, named after theSenegal River in the north and theGambia River in the south. However, there are also text sources which state that Senegambia is understood in a broader sense and equated with the term theWestern region. This refers to the coastal areas between Senegal andSierra Leone, where the inland border in the east was not further defined.[2]
Geographically, the region lies within the tropical zone between theSahel and theforests of Guinea, with Senegal and Gambian Rivers underpinning the region's geographical unity.[1] The region encompasses the modern states ofSenegal,The Gambia, andGuinea-Bissau, as well as portions ofMauritania,Mali, andGuinea. It should not be confused with the recentSenegambia Confederation, which was a looseconfederation between The Gambia and Senegal from 1982 to 1989, set up just afterThe Gambia's 1981 coup d'état where the Senegalese government intervened to reinstate the democratically elected Gambian government.
Spanning beyond the borders of the Senegambia Confederation, the Senegambia region was described by the Senegalese historian and scholar Professor Boubacar Barry ofUCAD[3] as historically "the main gateway toSudan, the cradle of the great empires ofGhana, Mali andSonghai" and "the centre of gravity for West Africa."[4][5]
According to ProfessorAbdoulaye Camara [fr] ofIFAN and theSenghor University in Alexandria,Egypt, early humans appeared in Senegal around 350,000 years ago.[6] Benga and Thiam posit that, it is in theFalémé valley in the southeast of the country where we find the oldest traces of human life.[7]
In SenegambianNeolithic history, the period when humans became hunters, fishermen and producers (farmers and artisans) is well represented and studied. This is when more elaborate objects andceramics emerged, testifying to various human activities.[8][9] The Diakité excavation inThiès shows evidence of human mobility over a distance of about 600 km, during the Senegambian Neolithic age.[9]
Located in south ofMbour (in theThiès Region), an ancient culture referred to as theTiemassassien culture,Tiemassassien industry,Tiémassas or justTiemassassien was discovered during a Senegalese excavation half a century ago. Descamps proposed that this culture pertains to the Neolithic Era about 10,000 years ago.[10] Dagan however proposed theUpper Paleolithic Era.[11] This culture was named after Thiès, the region it is in.
TheSenegambian stone circles are also located in this zone. Numerous tumuli, burial mounds, some of which have been excavated, revealed materials that date between the 3rd century BC and the 16th century AD. According toUNESCO : "Together the stone circles of laterite pillars and their associated burial mounds present a vast sacred landscape created over more than 1,500 years. It reflects a prosperous, highly organized and lasting society."[13] See the Senegambian stone circles,Serer ancient history andSerer religion articles for more on this.
During the medieval period of Europe which corresponds roughly to the Golden Age of West Africa, several great empires and kingdoms sprang out from the Senegambia region, including but not limited to the greatGhana Empire, theMali Empire, theSonghai Empire, theJolof Empire, theKaabu Empire, the Kingdoms ofSine,Saloum,Baol,Waalo andTakrur. During this period, several great dynasties rose and fell, and some, such as theGuelowar Dynasty of Sine and Saloum, survived for more than 600 years despite European colonialism, which fell as recently as 1969, nine years after Senegal gained its independence from France. It was also out of this region that the ancientlamanic class sprang. The ancient lamanes were the landowning class and kings. According to Barry, the "lamanic system is the oldest form of land ownership in precolonial Senegambia."[14]
From the 15th century, the region became a focus of Franco-British-Portuguese rivalry. The Portuguese were the first to arrive in the region in the 1450s. Until the 16th century, they held a monopoly on trade.[15]
In 1677, the French took the island ofGorée, and in 1681 they took control ofAlbreda on the Gambia River. This started a rivalry with the English, and in 1692 they briefly confiscated Gorée andSaint-Louis. In 1758, during theSeven Years' War, Gorée was captured by the British, who held it until 1763. In 1765, the British formed the Senegambia Province. In 1778, during theAmerican War of Independence, the French went on the offensive, and razed James Island in the River Gambia. In 1783, the Treaty of Versailles recognised British claims to The Gambia and French claims to Saint-Louis and Gorée, dissolving the Senegambia Province.[5]
The French pursued a policy of expansion and saw The Gambia as an obstacle. In the late 19th century, they proposed cedingDabou,Grand Bassam, andAssinie in return for The Gambia. The negotiations broke down but were repeatedly brought up again. After the failed 1981 coup d'état in The Gambia, a Senegambia Confederation was proposed and accepted. This lasted until 1989.[5]
The Senegambia region has a rich culture including joking relationships (Sanankuya) between patrilineal clans and ethnic groups. This joking relationship ensures peaceful coexistence where one ethnic group can criticize or even insult another without the recipient taking offence. This bond of cousinage is calledmaasir orkalir inSerer,kal by theWolof,kallengooraxu inSoninke,sanaawyaa in westernMandinka, andagelor inJoola (Fogny)[16]
The griot caste are found extensively in the Senegambia region. They preservegenealogy,history andculture of the people. There is also a mutual exchange of cuisines among the inhabitants of this region.Thieboudienne, originating inSaint-Louis, Senegal, has spread to Africa over the years. Whereby, it is now better known asjollof rice.Tigadèguèna, a peanut stew originated in Mali.Maafe calleddomoda in Gambia originated in Senegal.[17]
Youssou N'Dour, Africa's most famous singer (according toRolling Stone magazine (2014)), and who held the title as Africa's most powerful and biggest music export beforeAkon (who incidentally is also from this region) for several decades is from this region.[18][19][20] TheAfrican Renaissance Monument built in 2010 inDakar, standing at 49 m (161 feet) is thetallest statue in Africa.[21]
From the old and sacred music genre ofnjuup, to the modernmbalax beats (derived from theSerer njuup tradition[22]), the region has a rich and old music and dance tradition.Traditional Senegalese wrestling called njom in Serer, laamb in Wolof and siɲɛta in Bambara is a favourite pastime and national sport in some parts of the region especially in Senegal.[23]
Senegambian media are varied and include several radio stations, television channels, newspapers and Internet. Some of these radio stations and TV channels such asRadiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise,Radio Gambia andGRTS are publicly owned, but most of the media especially radio stations and newspapers are privately owned.
On 4 October 1973, Radio Senegal (Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision du Sénégal (ORTS) as it was known at the time), which had been in talks with Radio Gambia about producing a joint radio programme based on Senegambian history and broadcast in the localSenegambian languages came to an agreement, and the first ever recording of the programmeChossani Senegambia (the history of Senegambia) was made.[24] The show was prerecorded and both Senegal and Gambia broadcast at the same time every Tuesday. That was the first show of its kind within the Senegambia region, where two media houses from different states broadcast the same show at the same time every week. The Gambian historian, and statesmanAlieu Ebrima Cham Joof who was former Director of Programmes and Head of Local Languages at Radio Gambia was one of the pioneers of that joint programme. In his book,Senegambia - The land of our heritage (1995), p 12, Cham Joof writes:
The programme Chossanie Senegambia... has a higher audience in the Gambia and Senegal than any other programme broadcast by ORTS and Radio Gambia. It is the only programme that goes into the people's own culture and tells them about the history of their ancestors.[25]
The Senegambian zone is home to variousSenegambian ethnic groups includingWolof,Peul (or Fula),Tukulor (or Toucouleur),Manding,Sereer (or Serer),Soninke,Susu (or Sousou),Joola,Nalu,Baga,Beafada,Bainuk, andBassari.[1]
