| Attaya: Senegal and the Gambia on the Web originally began life as Senegal on the Web in 1999 and was an effort on the part of Eric and Lycia Shaffner, two recently-returned Senegal Peace Corps Volunteers, to highlight some of the aspects of life in Senegal and to provide information on the culture of the Senegalese people. Since they served in the southern part of the country (among the Pulaar, or Fulani, people), the original incarnation of the site had a decidedly Pulaar focus. This, however, broadened in time to include images and music from other parts of the country. Eventually, Scott J. Lewis, the coordinator of the group Friends of Senegal and the Gambia (FOSG), suggested that Senegal on the Web become the official website of the group. It was already designated as an official "Friends of..." site by the National Peace Corps Association, and becoming the official site of FOSG was the next logical step. As such, though, the site needed to incorporate content from the Gambia, and the name needed to be changed. Attaya is a word widely used by most ethnic groups in both Senegal and the Gambia to refer to tea -- generally, a black imported tea brewed in a small pot over a charcoal or gas stove and served in small glasses to friends and family. The tea-drinking session consists of three rounds of tea, each progressively sweeter and milder than the previous one. No social gathering is complete in Senegal or the Gambia without tea, so it was decided that attaya is a fitting allusion to the social and cultural e-gathering that occurs on this website. We hope you enjoy the site, and be sure to e-mail us if you have any suggestions, questions, comments, or salutations. Thank you!
Eric & Lycia Shaffner |
