Agnam-Goly is a Sahelian village in north-eastern Senegal with a population of inhabitants. The village is located in the Matam Department of Matam Region, approximately to the northeast of Dakar, on the bank of the Senegal River.
History
Founding
Agnam-Goly was founded by the Thioye family well before the year 1529. The Thioye began to inhabit caves in the dieri to the south of the village, over 12 meters (40 feet) above the ground. These caves, protected from the elements by large rocks, can still be visited today. The early inhabitants of Agnam-Goly left behind a mosque surrounded by a stone wall before moving north to the walo, which is the site used by the village today for agriculture and fishing.
At first, the village consisted of a single hearth surrounded by huts, each of which housed one family. This arrangement served to strengthen family ties and encourage solidarity between neighbors. These early structures, some of which are still standing, are located in the center of the modern village of Agnam-Goly.
The village contains six traditional quarters, each with its own prominent family: Cooyɓe-e-Kuñ'njooɓe, Jalluɓe-e-Gaajooɓe, Jooɓɓe-e-Barooɓe, Salsalɓe-e-Mbaayɓe and Sinc'cu-e-Caareen.
When Fouta was conquered by Koli Teŋella in the 16th century, Agnam-Goly – like the other Agnam villages – was already a fair-sized town. As Oumar Kane notes:
“The West Booseya extends from Hoorefoonde to Bokijawe. This is a stretch of village communities, some of which are true towns: the Aañam [Wuro-Moolo, Goli, Liiduɓe, Coɗay, Wuro-Sira, Siwol, Godo, Tulel-Calle, Ɓaarga], the large grouping of Cilon, Daabia Odeeji, Kobillo, Gudduɗe-Joobbe and Gudduɗe Ndueetɗe, Voki-Jawe.”
Myth of Dooroy and Boda-ngal
The myth of Dooroy and Boda-ngal is still alive in Agnam-Goly:
“Dooroy” is located in the walo and “Boda-ngal” in the dieri. These two mythical places are inhabited by the spirit of the legendary "Mbaroodi Dooroy" who migrates back and forth between Dooroy and Boda-ngal with the flooding and receding of the Sénégal River. Whether he is in Dooroy or in Boda-ngal, the Mbaroodi Dooroy can never live anywhere but in a well or spring. The Dooroy contains a little stream running through a dense forest of acacia trees, not far from Tain-ngu pond. The Boda-ngal contains the Biidal pond and the cemetery.
This Mbaroodi Dooroy is a male spirit, who lost his male organs in a fight with the “Mbaroodi Maayel Barga”, taking one of his opponent's eyes in revenge. The two spirits are separated by the Barga pond. During a long dry season, the Mbaroodi Dooroy tried in vain to conquer this pond. And using a dream as an intermediary, he commanded the villagers to dig a well for him in the Dooroy and to pour milk into it as an offering. At the same time, he issued this warning:
“You shall not wash your mats and pots there, newly married and pregnant women shall not approach the well, and above all, you shall not urinate there.”
When the Sénégal River floods, his favorite spot, “Boorti Thioura”, is always in motion: the water moves and its depth is unimaginable.
At times of need, the wise elders of the village invoke the Mbaarodi Dooroy by means of a secret formula that begins with the words “Yaa Dooroy, yaa Boda-ngal...”, and their sacred clay.
Geography
Location
Agnam-Goly is located in north-eastern Senegal, on the southern bank of the Senegal River. It is traversed by the N2 highway, which links Matam (to the southeast) with Dagana (to the northwest), passing between the villages of Thilogne and Pete Ngour.
The village belongs to the rural community and to the district of Agnam Civol, in the Ranérou Ferlo Department of the Matam Region.
The altitude, which ranges from ten to thirteen meters (32 to 42 feet), averages twelve meters (39 feet).
The village is located between the walo, a clayey, flood-prone area, to the north and the dieri, formed by sand dunes studded with rocks, to the south.
Professor Oumar Kane of the Cheikh Anta Diop University, a Fouta-Toro specialist, describes the importance of water in this region, which draws much of its resources from flood-based agriculture:
"From Duumga to Mbaan, the low floodplain spreads as far as the eye can see, extending over 50 kilometers. This explains the dense concentration of jeejegol villages between Duumga and Hoorefoonde: Vokijawe, Dabia-Koɓvillo, Cilon, Kaaƴe-Pawe, Ɓaarga, Tulel-Calle, Godo, Siwol, Wuro-Siree, Coɗay, Goli, Wuro-Molo, Liiduɓe, Asnde Balla, Njaakir, Hooƴo, etc."