| 3.8 RELIGION AND RITUALS
According to Bayo Ogunjimi and Abdul Rasheed Na’Allah; “Religion itself embraces rituals, sacrifices and other routine activities that sustain the existence of peoples”. To buttress this point, nothing of importance is ever undertaken without some form of rituals even when he (Laye), wants to go to Conakry to further his study. The parents are Muslims so also the child. The religion permits the marriage of more than one wife, thus, he (Laye) is from a polygamous family. He is made to believe the marabout (Alfa) and all that they stand for. Kawkan is recognized as the holy city. During and after Ramadan celebration, it’s the usual thing for women to wear golden trinket for Ramadan or Tabaski ceremony. Ramadan is a significant period for the Muslims to observe fasting as part of the laid down principles of Islam.
Despite the fact that Laye’s parents are Muslims, they have some animalistic belief in ritual and rites. He keeps the boubou and prayer rugs in bedroom yet he keeps series of pots that contained extracts from plants and the bark of the trees. It is the father’s custom to smear his body with a little of each liquid for protection from evil spirits. This contributes to the reason Leopold S. Senghor says:
It’s tradition, which is today the most powerful force in the universal civilization. Once more, I do not speak of material values, I speak of spiritual values.
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