Saint-Louis: Religious Pluralism in the Heart of Senegal

by David Robinson with assistance from Ghislaine Lydon, Kalala Ngalamulume and others

Saint-Louis is a fascinating laboratory for exploring the changes in secular and religious practice and the changing relationships among different confessional communities - within Islam as well as between Muslim and Christian. While the town has been surpassed in importance by Dakar and other cities of Senegal, and by Nouakchott in Mauritania for the last 50 years, it has played a vital role in establishing the framework of tolerance and mutual understanding that has dominated social relations in the country for the last two centuries.

This gallery presents documents, maps, images and audio interviews dealing with the interactions of Saint Louis's French Catholic communities, Muslim majority, the French administration, and Freemasons in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Featured Document
Muslims of Senegal sent this letter to...

Highlighted Photograph
Al-Hajj Malik Sy, well konwn Tijaniyya Sufi leader, circa 1912
Map of Saint Louis
Saint Louis at the end of the 19th century