Wolof Research Paper
As the African proverb goes, If you want people to understand you, speak their language. Such was
the case for the Wolof tribe when France colonized their native country of Senegal, located on the
northern West coast of Africa, in the early 20th century. Before the French arrived, Senegal had been a
constantly changing domain. The Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French fought back and forth over
outposts such as the small island of Gorée, part of modern day Dakar, Senegal. It was finally returned
to the French by the British in 1815, after the Napoleonic wars, and the French began their expansion
into the mainland (Diallo). However, as the French ventured farther into Africa, they encountered the
Wolof, a people who had been denizens of Senegal ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The history of the Wolof people can be traced back to the great kingdoms of pre colonial Senegal,
prior to 1946. Kayor and Baol, two of these empires, are often cited as examples of the Wolof
resistance to French colonialism due to the lasting of their culture and language (National African
Language Resource Center). Even after French was deemed the official language, people continued to
use Wolof. Since then, the term Wolofization has been coined to describe its spread. Wolof people
make up about 40% of the nine million Senegalese, representing the largest single ethnic group at
approximately 44.5% in the 2004 census ( Wolof ). In addition, Wolof is spoken as a first or second
language by more than 90% of the population (Diallo), by over 5.2 million speakers (Thompson).
French, however, doesn t even rank in the top six national languages, with only about 20% as a second
language, and 1% as a first (Diallo). Strong Wolof presence can be seen not just lingually, since
independence, but the Wolof have played a leading role culturally, politically, and economically in
Senegal too. The Wolof people remain the single largest Ethnic group in Senegal, and despite the
country s weak economy, the Wolof have built a reputation for international commerce and trading. In
addition, Wolof businesspeople can be found throughout Africa, Europe, and even on the streets of
New York City and Washington, D.C. ( Wolof ). In resistance to the French national language, Wolof
has continued and maintained it s status as the lingua
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