Today I'm joining Erin for her monthly Coffee Date link-up, where we pretend we're on a coffee date with a friend, catching up and sharing our hearts with one another.
Today I'm sharing something on my heart.
Teranga
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| Attaya is a commonly served, hot, sugary sweet tea. There are typically 3 rounds served while you chat. |
Today I'm sharing something on my heart.
Teranga
In his book, Modern Senegalese Recipes: From the Source to the Bowl, Chef Pierra Thiam says,
"Teranga is the word that symbolizes Senegal the best. Teranga is a Wolof word that would translate to hospitality. It's a value. It's the way you treat the other, the one who is not you. That person becomes the one to whom you have to offer teranga. You have to treat him with so much respect. You have to offer him what you have. You have to invite him to sit around your bowl. There's always room for the other around your bowl. Why? Because we believe that the other is bringing blessings. This is the deep-rooted Senegalese belief; we believe that there's always more. You will never lack by sharing."
In traditional Senegalese customs, meals are served in a big bowl in the middle of a group of people, with everyone eating out of the same dish. Visit a friend (or anyone for that matter) and they'll beg you to stay for a meal. They could be incredibly poor and they would still ask you to join them around the bowl.
Why?
Teranga.
This hospitality extends past meal times, though. It's evident in the way neighbors look out for one another. It's in the way people sacrificially give of their time, their resources, themselves... And they do it just because. They do it because of teranga.
A few nights ago, I got to observe a group of neighbors rally around another neighbor after a small fire outside their house. They invited these new neighbors, people they may not have even known at this point, into their home, to get away from the cold night air and the smokiness inside their own home. Then another family, without hesitation, invited their children to spend the night, so they wouldn't have to stay in the smokey house.
It was close to midnight by the time I got home that night. And I was wide awake. I guess the adrenaline from a fire will do that to you. And the fire didn't even affect me, personally. So I can only imagine how the homeowners felt. But what really kept me awake was a sense of happiness and maybe even pride over how fast their neighbors stepped up.
When I heard tales of neighbors, who only spoke a tiny bit of their shared language, invited them inside while they waited...
When I heard tales of neighbors offering water...
When one of our staff members invited, without a hint of hesitation, their children to come camp out for the night...
When I saw people offering up prayer and rejoicing with them over it not being worse than we all know it could have been...
A few nights ago, I got to observe a group of neighbors rally around another neighbor after a small fire outside their house. They invited these new neighbors, people they may not have even known at this point, into their home, to get away from the cold night air and the smokiness inside their own home. Then another family, without hesitation, invited their children to spend the night, so they wouldn't have to stay in the smokey house.
It was close to midnight by the time I got home that night. And I was wide awake. I guess the adrenaline from a fire will do that to you. And the fire didn't even affect me, personally. So I can only imagine how the homeowners felt. But what really kept me awake was a sense of happiness and maybe even pride over how fast their neighbors stepped up.
When I heard tales of neighbors, who only spoke a tiny bit of their shared language, invited them inside while they waited...
When I heard tales of neighbors offering water...
When one of our staff members invited, without a hint of hesitation, their children to come camp out for the night...
When I saw people offering up prayer and rejoicing with them over it not being worse than we all know it could have been...
It was neighbors being neighborly.
It was hospitality at its finest.
It didn't matter what language everyone spoke.
It didn't matter what religion everyone practiced.
Simply put
It was people helping people.
It was God's love clearly on display.
It was teranga.
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