Historical narrative: when the white man came to the village…

Storyteller Sékou Djikabo Coly brings us a historical narrative of the Baynunk community in Niamone, Casamance, southern Senegal. It tells the story of when some « white man » arrived hoping to take over the village. A gunfight followed, an unequal battle unfolding with no surprise…

Reminder: Baynunk is a language spoken in southern Senegal, as well as in neighbouring Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. It belongs to the Niger-Congo family (North-Atlantic branch, Tenda-Nyun group) and includes several dialectal variations. In 2006, Ethnologue.com estimated the number of Baynunk speakers around 6,200, figures leading to consider Baynunk an « endangered language » according to UNESCO standards. Widely understudied, Baynunk was finally codified in 2005 and now comprises an official spelling system.

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