Travels with Tavish

I recently got a question from a regular blog reader about the practice of having multiple wives that I thought I would share here: I wondered how widespread plural marriage is in your region of Senegal. I assume it’s acceptable to Muslims but probably not to Christians. Or maybe it’s a practice that isn’t confined to a particular religious tradition? Do you have any reflections on how the institution works based on your experience? Muslim men are allowed to have up to four wives according to the Quran. From my observations, the choice and ability to have more wives often is related to the man's wealth; it takes more money to support a larger family and to pay dowries to the brides' families. Younger men tend to have one wife and may take up to three more as they become older and acquire more wealth. (The Jaxanke phrase about marrying a woman literally translates to "to take a wife," hence my phrasing here. I get asked most days "You haven't taken a wife...

Here is the most recent batch of books I have read, with a few reviews of notable titles below. Also here is another song with lyrics translated into Jaxanke: Jaxanke song lyrics #3: Nta fee xa baara ke Nta fee xa konton ke Mba fee xa nyinan doron wotoo, nse saaba Hint: The song's original lyrics are in French Hint #2: I know very few French songs Now on to the books: John Grisham books (Bleachers and The Partner): Quick reads that were very engaging. These books are probably not going to change my life, but they (along with the two Grisham books I read earlier in my service) are fun and a great break from more serious or difficult books. I'll be reading a few more during the remainder of my service. The Devil in the White City: A historical account of the 1983 World's Fair in Chicago. The story focuses on two aspects of the fair: the architects designing the groundbreaking buildings, and a serial killer who ran his operation just a few miles from the...

Here are some July pictures from the village! Puddles in the front yard forming during a rain storm  Water has come back to the river next to the women's gardens Fields of jabare (a root vegetable) covered with leaves Some Jatropha cuttings I planted in between the existing trees bordering my host dad's field My host mom Nyuma burnt down this dead tree because it was in the middle of her jabare fields. She cut it up and hauled it back to the house for firewood A woman named Janke Traore who planted lots of cashews in the pepiniere carrying some back to her house to outplant  Peanut roasting setup Rice field next to the road near my village. Farmers will spray with herbicide to kill all the green currently visible Moringa intensive bed in the community pepiniere. We have eaten the leaves for two meals so far. If you look closely in the front row of trees you can see some that were cut about 4 inches above the ground. Moringa grow...