The languages of the Seereer people are some of the most beautiful languages to speak and listen to. Saafi-Saafi is one of them. Anyone who speaks or has learned one of the Senegambian languages such as Seereer (or Seereer-Siin), Sili-Sili, Ndut, Noon, Laalaa, Wolof or Fula would be surprised to learn that several Saafi words have made their way into the Senegambian languages, one of them being the word "cosaan"- a generic term used to mean history, culture and tradition within the Senegambia region. The word cosaan (variations: chosaan, chossan or cosan) has a spiritual connection to the Seereer people. It derives from the Seereer-Saafi word sos which depending on context, means the beginning; begin; start; enlive; causing to exist; bringing about enlivenment; causing enlivenment; or that in which exists. The word sos derives from saas/sas (as in the mythical Saas tree found in the Seereer creation narrative), which in this context means that which brings about enlivenment or that which causes enlivenment. Saa, see, sii, and suu mean enlivening, birthing, causing or bringing about. The -s in this case means enlivenment or enlightenment. The -an/-aan as in saasan/saasaan means that in which exists, seen and unseen, and is used to refer to human(s), animal(s), insect(s), mammal(s), thing(s), and the universe.
In Seereer religious teachings, one must be in pefect harmony with all that exists, seen and unseen. Therefore, embarking on the journey of being of saasan, saasaan, sasaan, sosan, coosaan, cosaan or cosan is to embark on the journey of living that in which brings about enlivenment for the upliftment of all that exists, seen and unseen. This is why this term is deeply spiritual and functions as a spiritual guide. The S(osan) and C(osan) spelling variation is not surprising since the letters S and C are interchangeable in Saafi-Saafi. A good example of this is the words aas and ac both of which mean enter. Another example is keseet and koceet, which both mean pure, unchanged or original. You will find several examples like these as you move forward into the course.
Saafi-Saafi, also called Seereer Saafeen or Saafen is spoken by the Saafi people, one of the subgroups of the Seereer ethnic group. Saafi-Saafi is mainly spoken in Senegal and it is the principal Cangin language and one of the officially recognised languages of Senegal. The Seereer ethnic group is found in Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania. However, Saafi-Saafi is not widely spoken in The Gambia or Mauritania, but mainly in Senegal. Seereer (or Seereer-Siin or Singandum) on the other hand is widely spoken in all three countries especially Senegal and is one of the officially recognised languages of that country. The many Saafi-Saafi dialects are: Boukhou, Diobass (Saafi proper: Jooɓaas), Hasab, Sebikotane and Sindia. With the exception of Diobass which is named after a Saafi zone, the other dialects are named after Saafi villages. It is a common misconception that Saafi is a dialect of the prestige Seereer-Siin language spoken by the Seex people (variations: Seeh or Seh, following its pronunciation). The fact is, Saafi-Saafi is much closer to Sili-Sili (or Palor), Noon and Laalaa (or Lehar) than it is to Seereer. It is written using the Latin alphabet and in language classification, it is part of the Niger-Congo family and one of the Senegambian languages. As of 2012, the total number of speakers is estimated to be 200,000 and rising.
Author Biography:
Tamsier Joof is the founder of The Seereer Resource Centre, an organisation he conceived in 2008. For nearly thirty years, he has documented and preserved several documents and artefacts relating to the history and culture of the Seereer and Senegambian people, and has interviewed many notable Senegambian personalities, scholars and oral historians (many of whom are no longer with us) about the history and culture of the Seereer and Senegambian people. He is also the founder of Seereer Radio(TM) and Seereer Heritage Press.(TM) These two organisations together with the SRC aim to document and preserve Seereer and Senegambian history, culture and traditions. Tamsier has been a strong advocate for the preservation of Seereer culture, history and traditions and strongly believes that for one to truly understand and appreciate Seereer culture and history, one must first understand Seereer religion and the languages of the Seereer people in their authentic - undiluted forms. He believes that true Seereer culture and history are hidden in Seereer religion and languages, and anyone with an open mind can decipher them. Tamsier has spent over 20 years in the education sector as a school teacher and university lecturer, and has put over 20 years of his teaching experience into this course. As the author of this syllabus, Tamsier knows how people learn, what motivates them and the limits to their motivation. A minimum of 30 minutes a day would result in great improvement Tamsier said. Demba Sene is a native Senegalese. He earned a master's degree in English language and Arts. The difficult conditions he faced during his studies at university brought him to launch his own businesses in school coaching and publications of free newspapers that helped students to make the best choice for their university studies and career. The newspaper was titled Le journal du Bachelier - ISSN 0850-5640. Aware of the condition of his Saafi community, he engaged himself in various fields of work to improve his peoples social status. Among his initiatives were the creation of APROFEM/DPS, an association founded in order to improve the working conditions of young Saafi girls working as housemaid in the cities of Dakar, Thiés and Mbour; and leader of The Association of Youths in his village Kiniabour. Demba is also leading a social movement that he created himself. This movement is called SFDIS. It's main role is to help constituents have positive control of their political leadership's management of their constituencies, and to sensitise the local community in their role in managing their locality as a collective. Demba is also a language teacher, interpreter and translator, and has worked in this field for many years. The Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) was founded in 2008 to assist in the documentation and preservation of Seereer heritage(TM), and to provide support services for education and research in Seereer culture, history and theology. They do this through courses and publications. They have several resources covering various Seereer related topics including Seereer-Siin and the Cangin languages; Seereer religion (A ƭat Roog or Kos Kooh); culture; history; traditional medicinal practices, etc.
