Senegal: National Identity and the Arts

Faculty and Staff

Souleye Diallo, Academic Director
Souleye Diallo, a Senegalese national, graduated from the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar with a degree in English and literature. He earned an MA in sustainable development from the SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. He also holds certificates in program development, program management, peer counseling, crisis management, and training of trainers from the Peace Corps, as well as in intercultural communications from the Summer Institute in Intercultural Communications in Portland, Oregon. Having worked as a cross-cultural trainer and homestay coordinator for the US Peace Corps for many years, he has conducted various trainings of trainers in the West Africa region.

Prior to joining SIT, Souleye worked for the Church World Service/ INS in the immigration and refugee resettlement program in sub-Saharan Africa. He also served as a consultant for Women's World Banking in the Gambia and the Christian Children's Fund in Dakar. During the academic year 2001–2002, Souleye served as SIT Graduate Institute's ombudsperson. He joined SIT Study Abroad as the academic director for the semester abroad program in Senegal in the fall of 2002.

Papa Bouna Fall, Program Assistant
Papa Bouna Fall, fondly known as Bouna to his SIT students, graduated from the University of Dakar with degrees in British literature and foreign relations. He continued his studies in France and earned a master's degree in applied foreign languages (English and Spanish) as well as a certificate in business from the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry, based in Paris. Bouna also completed an internship in England. Bouna also holds a master's degree in teaching from SIT Graduate Institute.

Bouna has taught ESL at various levels for many years. He began his teaching career in 1984 as a high school teacher, and today he continues to serve as a language instructor at college and university levels in Dakar. Since 1993, he has worked as a freelance translator for several NGOs and other institutions such as the World Bank, USAID, and Amnesty International. His loves an array of outdoor activities including hiking, soccer, jogging, table tennis, and excursions. A dedicated multiculturist, he speaks French, English, Spanish, Wolof, and Bambara. He is very interested in current affairs and intercultural communication and believes travel helps increase global awareness.

Bouna has been the program assistant with SIT in Senegal since 2002. He has also served as the program's homestay coordinator. Bouna frequently accompanies students on excursions to Senegalese villages.

Aminata Siby, Homestay Coordinator
Amy completed her studies in American literature and culture at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar in 1992. Family and hospitality are very important to Amy, and these two aspects of Senegalese life are what initially brought Amy to SIT in 2003 as a host mother. After hosting SIT students for three years, Amy began the program's homestay coordinator. Each semester, Amy works hard to ensure that students are adjusting to life in Senegal, particularly within the context of their host families.

In addition to serving as an excellent resource for students, particularly on matters relating to life in Dakar, Amy provides administrative assistance to the rest of the SIT Senegal staff. Amy frequently accompanies the students on excursions in and around Dakar.

Ibrahima Ndiaye, Language Instructor
Ibrahima was born and grew up in Thies, 70 kilometers outside of Dakar. He spent his summers pursuing religious education in Dakar. He completed the first portion of his formal education in Thies, after which he moved to Dakar to study law at Dakar University Cheikh Anta Diop. In addition to his degree in law, he holds certificates in education, Wolof, Wolof instruction, and business administration. Before he began teaching with SIT in 2010, he worked with the Peace Corps, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Korean International Cooperation Agency. He currently works as a French and Wolof instructor for SIT Study Abroad and CIEE and also provides private language instruction for individuals and organizations. In his free time, Ibrahima enjoys watching documentary films, cooking, reading, playing sports, nature, and music. He speaks French and Wolof.

Fatou Kandji, Language Instructor
Fatou Kandji specializes in intercultural and international teaching and has many years of experience working with Japanese and American undergraduate students as well as Peace Corps volunteers in Senegal. After attending private Catholic elementary school and public high school in the city of Thiès, Fatou continued her education at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, where she studied law. In 1994, she returned to Thiès to care for her mother. During this time, she completed Peace Corps certification as a French and Wolof teacher and started working with the Peace Corps and JICA to develop the language skills of volunteers. Additionally, Fatou worked in insurance marketing for three years and is currently in the process of writing a memoir for her bachelor of business administration with a focus on intercultural communication. She has been teaching language courses at SIT and CIEE since 2006, as well as working as a research assistant and translator in Dakar.

Keba Djibril Mané, Language Instructor
Hailing from the Casamance, Keba was born and raised in Velingara, a city in southern Senegal, until his studies brought him to Dakar. He spent four years studying at the University Cheikh Anta Diop and teaching high school history, geography, French, and Spanish until financial obligations forced him to withdraw from university and focus solely on teaching. During this time he also taught in a primary school's tutoring and enrichment program. Keba taught Mandinka and Pulaar for the Peace Corps in Thies until the events of September 11, 2001 caused a temporary suspension of Peace Corps operations in Senegal. He has been working with SIT and CIEE in Dakar since 2002.

As a professional musician, Keba plays with several bands, most notably Ndoukouman. He also takes on freelance work including for some of Senegal's more famous musical acts.

Mame Bineta Fall, Language Instructor
Mame Bineta Fall is a native of Dakar. She was born and raised in the suburb of Rufisque where she currently lives with her family. Mame studied English, French, and Spanish in the Applied Foreign Languages program at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar. She also received training as a language teacher with the Peace Corps, with which she worked for two years before coming to work for SIT in 2002. Since then, she has taught French and Wolof to students at SIT and CIEE. She has also taught volunteers with JICA and gives private language lessons to volunteers and expatriates. In her free time, she enjoys reading mystery and science fiction novels.

Benedict "Papis" Bassene, Office Manager
Papis is originally from the region of Kédougou, though he grew up mostly in Kaolack and Dakar. He received a degree in applied linguistics in the English Department of the University of Gaston Berger in Saint Louis. Before joining SIT, Papis utilized his interpersonal and technical skills volunteering for The Spanish Humanist Movement, a nongovernmental organization aimed at supporting local grassroots community building projects. It was here that Papis began developing an interest in intercultural experience and learning while he served as an interpreter and project planner. In addition to his duties as office manager with the SIT Senegal program, he also teaches English at professional schools in Dakar. Papis enjoys sports, spending time with his daughter, and reading.

Lecturers for this program include:

Linda Robinson, Lecturer and ISP Advisor
Linda is from Maryland, USA, and holds degrees from Morgan State University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Pittsburgh. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thies, Senegal, and was a 2001 Fellow of the Coro Pittsburgh Civic Leadership/Jewish Healthcare Foundation and also a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Healthlink Fellow. She has enjoyed 3 careers: research chemist, nutritionist, and medical research librarian. Linda is co-founder of Community Action Day Care Center in New Jersey and co-founder of l’Association Nationale des Albinos du Senegal.

Linda is a 2005 recipient of the Peace Corps’ Franklin H. Williams Award, which honors Peace Corps Volunteers who demonstrate a commitment to community service. One of Linda’s memorable experiences was being honored as a mother on Oprah Winfrey’s annual Mother’s Day show.

Linda works part time at SIT. She enjoys reading, travelling, gardening, sewing, African films, and tennis.

Dr. Mbacké Diagne
Dr. Mbacké Diagne is a linguist, researcher, and instructor of French and English languages. Dr. Diagne earned a PhD in linguistics at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (Paris) in 2009. In addition to his teaching and advising on SIT’s Senegal: National Identity and the Arts program, Dr. Diagne has extensive teaching and research experience with l’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Dakar and Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and has served the Senegalese Ministry of Education as a member of the national technical team of Project ELAN (Ecole et Langues Nationales) focusing on improvement of primary-level French language instruction in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Senegal. Dr. Diagne’s professional experience in language research and advocacy also includes serving as a member of the Sénélangues project, an effort by France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the Language, Langue, et Cultures d’Afrique Noire (LLCAN), whose main objective was to document and describe approximately 20 of Senegal’s most threatened languages. Dr. Diagne has widely published and disseminated work on issues of pedagogy and the question of minority and threatened languages in the region. Among Dr. Diagne’s distinctions is that of being honored with the titled of Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Lion from the government of Senegal. He is a member of the SIT Senegal review board.

Moussa Diouf
Moussa Diouf is a lecturer with nearly three decades’ experience in instructing both English and French languages. Having earned both master’s and bachelor’s degrees at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Mr. Diouf has gone on to earn further qualifications in a variety of pedagogical skill areas including in-service training, interpersonal communication, and English language training. In addition to his work with SIT’s Senegal: National Identity and the Arts program, his professional experience includes directorship of the English Language Institute (ELI) in Dakar and the English Language for Internationals program at Suffolk University in Dakar as well as coordination of the British Senegalese Institute Regional Center. He currently serves as president of the Association of Teachers of English in Senegal (a professional organization affiliated with TESOL and IATEFL), was former secretary for the pedagogic affairs of the Association of Teachers of English in Senegal, and maintains membership in professional organizations including TESOL and IATEFL. He is a member of the SIT Senegal review board.