Cosaan Seereer : Exclusive interview with Wally Faye of Tukar by The Seereer Resource Centre and Seereer Radio

In December 2015, the Seereer Resource Centre in collaboration with our radio station (Seereer Radio) sent its research team to several parts of Seereer country to interview some notable and knowledgeable Seereer elders, historians / scholars on matters relating to Seereer religion, history and culture, so that we can document and preserve this before it is too late. This team was headed by Tamsier Joof and Demba Sene. 

This is the interview they conducted with Wally Faye in Tukar (or Toucar), Siin, Senegal. Tukar was  an ancient Seereer state with its own vassals founded by Laman Jeegaan Jaye Juuf (variations : Laman Djigan Diouf or Laman Jeegaan Joof). It is also a Seereer sacred place where the Raan festival is held once a year - on the second Thursday in April after the appearance of the new moon.   During the Gelowar Maternal Dynasty (1350 - 1969), Tukar was incorporated into the Seereer precolonial Kingdom of Siin, however it retained  great autonomy from the Seereer kings of Siin. For approximately 1000 years  since its founding by Laman Jeegaan Jaye Juuf, the Juuf family have ruled Tukar and its vassals states as laman  - title for the ancient Seereer kings and landowning class. Following Senegal's independence from France, Tukar is now another old and large Seereer village. 

You can find out more about the Seereer ancient lamans by visiting the Seereer Resource Centre - see the following link: http://www.seereer.com/laman

Date of first broadcast on Seereer Radio : Saturday, 27th February 2016

Presenters : Tamsier Joof and Demba Sene

Interviewers : Tamsier Joof and Demba Sene

Interviewee : Wally Faye 

Other panel members : Ablie Ndour as translator; Njaga Gaye and Momodou Secka

Source language(s) :  Seereer-Siin, Wolof, Saafi-Saafi, French and English 

Subjects covered : History of Tukar (or Toucar) - its founding and etymology; History of Laman Jeegaan Jaye Juuf; History of Fassamane Caw (adversary of Jeegaan); History of Siin; Kings of Siin; Laman; Lamabaye (in Baol); Seereer genealogy; The Raan festival, Seereer families : the Juuf and Thiaw (Caw) family.

Radio program : Cosaan Seereer

Radio station : Seereer Radio

Owner : The Seereer Resource Centre (SRC)

Collection : The SRC Collection

Date of recording : 20th December 2015

Location : The compound of Wally Faye in  Tukar, Siin Region, Senegal. 

Medium : Audio recording 

Additional information : This audio was recorded for the SRC Collection, with permission to broadcast granted to Seereer Radio  | The Voice of the Seereer Community (our 24 hour stream radio station). The research team was headed by Tamsier Joof and Demba Sene. It was recorded on 20th December 2015 at  Wally Faye's house. When we met Mr. Faye he was enjoying his roasted groundnuts - hence some of the background noise. Apologies for the noise. 

Information about Wally Faye  : Wally Faye is in his 80's or 90's. He is literate and is regarded as one of the historians of the village. Some Senegalese journalists / researchers are reported to have visited him for interviews regarding the history of the area. He is a direct descendant of Fassamane Caw (the adventurer and contemporary of Jeegaan Jaye Juuf).

Note : There is a lot of controversy about this audio interview. Some of the views expressed here have not been backed up by scholarly papers and are contrary to the Seereer oral tradition. The head of the Juuf family of Tukar whose ancestor founded Tukar and who is responsible for the Raan festival attended a community meeting on the day of the interview, therefore we were unable to interview him and his family. Our research team will be revisiting Tukar in the near future to record their version. You can have your say about this audio by leaving a comment below. Keep it clean and relevant.

Download transcript « Télécharger la transcription » :

Visit the Seereer Resource Centre download page to download a transcript of this audio in English, French, Seereer a Sinig, Saafi-Saafi, Ndut, Sili-Sili, Noon and Laalaa.

Websites :

The Seereer Resource Centre (SRC) - www.seereer.org 

Seereer Radio - www.seereerradio.com