Government
The government of Senegal is characterized of the moderate decentralized government that is controlled by the strong presidency (Clark, Andrew, & Lucie, 1994). The popular vote is used by the people of the republic of Senegal to select their precedence as their leader. The presidency term takes a period of seven years and he/she has the power to appoint the prime minister. The constitution of the country was promulgated in 1963. It provides the rule by the civilian government which constitute of a prevailing executive division, an independent judiciary and a National Assembly.
The country politic is associated with the two main political parties. For instance, Socialist Party is the leading party and had dominated the political arena for over forty years while the Senegalese Democratic Party takes the position of the opposition party (Streissguth, 2009).
Culture
The culture of the Senegal is constructed by twelve different ethnic subsets, each having different custom and culture. The official language of the country is French which commonly spoken by the educated citizens, which are the minority. The country’s culture is however recognized by the hair culture and the food culture (Diallo, 2010). The hair culture is however dominated by the Wolof community. For instance, young girls of the Wolof community usually shave their hair partially, as a symbol to illustrate that they are not dating (Press, 2010).
The basic food that is commonly consumed is the rice prepared with vegetables and spicy sauce. However, the national food is the Wolof’s rice served with rice and is commonly known as chep-bu-jen. On the ceremony and festive events, common dish served includes grilled or roasted meat served with French fries or beans (Mills, 2011). Sweet and strong tea is generally taken after every meal, and in some cases, locally made alcohol is taken. Sorghum and millet are the common food crops grown in the country.
Religion
The most predominant religion in Senegal is Islam. It covers approximately 94% of the total population of the country. The Christian community occupies the minority group of about 5% of the population. The Christian communities include different Protestants and the Roman catholics. The rest of the group beliefs in animists’ religion
References
Clark, Andrew F., and Lucie Colvin Phillips (1994). Historical Dictionary of Senegal, 2nd ed.
Diallo, I. (2010). The politics of national languages in postcolonial Senegal. Amherst, NY: Cambria Press.
Mills, I. (2011). Sutura: Gendered Honor, Social Death, and the Politics of Exposure in Senegalese Literature and Popular Culture. Berkeley, CA.
Press, W. T. (2010). Senegal Women in Culture, Business & Travel: A Profile of Senegalese Women in the Fabric of Society. Petaluma: World Trade Press.
Streissguth, T. (2009). Senegal in pictures. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.
