Ville de Montreal - Amélie Régis

No. 3 - January 19, 2006

An experience in international cooperation

By Amélie Régis

I agreed to devote two weeks of my 2005 vacations to assisting a Senegalese organization, in the hopes that my experience would contribute to raising awareness about international cooperation among people here at home. That’s how I found myself one fine November day in Dakar. My mission: to support The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social and Solidarity Economy in the organization of an international conference, specifically as regards communications.

Total culture shock

I had been told that I would experience culture shock... but you can only fully comprehend what that means once you’re there. EVERYTHING is different in Senegal!
Let’s start with the climate. It is necessary to mention the stifling heat in Africa? As snow fell in Montreal, I prayed for the survival of my air conditioning system and for freedom from blackouts (something liable to happen three or four times a day). I always chuckled to myself when I heard a Senegalese say that he or she had caught a cold. How is that even possible?

Customs, work and language

Local customs are greatly influenced by the Muslim faith and often it’s the little everyday things that make this culture seem so different to us.

As for “punching the clock,” the notions of punctuality and deadlines are really, shall we say, utterly relative. You do what you can, when you can. In Senegal, the word stress doesn’t exist. For a young North American like myself it was a brutal shock, total chaos.

Regarding language: yes, French is the country’s official language. However, in practice this only applies to the educated élite (60% of the population is illiterate). The language spoken and understood by all is Wolof. And, as a couple of examples show, Wolof is a long ways from French: Salaam Aleikoum (Hello), Na dga def? (How are you?), Dieuredieuf (Thank you).

The generosity of the Senegalese

I’m often asked what made the biggest impression on me during this adventure. I could say that the poverty saddened me, that the pollution was suffocating, or that I was traumatized by the gigantic cockroaches.

However, in the end I can only praise the generosity of the Senegalese people, the values of mutual aid and sharing everywhere in evidence, the time they take for each other, the resourcefulness they show and their optimistic outlook.

As the saying goes: money isn’t happiness!