The Sunuy Xale (Our Children) project promotes material in Wolof language for children. The aim is to support language learning and the development of cultural identity. We see, that children benefit and enjoy from reading and listening stories and music in their mother tongue. Being able to have these stories and songs around during the child’s early childhood helps with the linguistic development. Developing child’s ability to use the mother tongue and recognize its different nuances and feelings in the stories supports all learning later in life. We also wish every child to be able to enjoy and experience culture. Our aim is to produce and make art to our audience using different medias and techniques. Our audience and target group consists of both native Wolof speakers and bilingual children using Wolof as their home language.

Wolof is spoken in the regions of Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania and it has a strong role in Senegal as a widely spoken uniting native language. Today Wolof speakers live around the World. This project aims to publish material only in the Wolof language, so it works within Wolof -speaking communities around the World.

SUNUY XALE Book and music

SUNUY XALE (2018)

The first book and music publication ”Sunuy Xale” supports the learning of Wolof language. Children will learn the language through simple stories and songs. Book’s illustrations and stories present West-African everyday-life and the cultural environment. The development of cultural identity is strengthenedy by providing stories that children can easily identify in. Stories are written by using colloquial but correct wolof language.

The material was targeted both to bilingual families and to native Wolof speakers.

In bilingual families living abroad, children speak Wolof mainly at home and the tools are needed to maintain the language. Native Wolof speakers can enhance their children´s language development by reading, listening the music and exploring the illustrations together with the kids.

The book includes songs that are also available as separate recording and on Spotify. The music was recorded in Dakar, Senegal in December 2017 with Senegalese musicians and children.

The book and music publication was supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland and Oskar Öflund’s Foundation.

wolof language

Wolof is spoken in the regions of Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania and it has a strong role in Senegal as a widely spoken uniting native language. Today Wolof speakers live around the World. There are not enough written material published in wolof language in general, but especially for children there is a great demand on material published in wolof language.

HOW TO GET MY COPY?

Please follow us on instagram: @sunuyxale

The book and the cd are sold at Torobee Distributions inside Institut Francais Dakar, Chez Alpha Books and Cours de wolof á Dakar.

Our webshop is here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/663209462/sunuy-xale-childrens-book-and-music-cd?ref=shop_home_active_1

If any questions just email sunuyxale@gmail.com and we will give you instructions.

ACtivities

WOLOF MUSIC club

The Wolof Music Club has been running in Finland since 2015. This activity was started from the concern of parents to sustain their children’s Wolof language outside Wolof speaking countries. Musician and music pedagogy Marjo Smolander was the original founder of this Wolof music club activity. Smolander composed and used traditional children's songs as a basis while creating easily approachable music for children. Today the music club is held in co-operation with the Senegal-Finland Friendship Association. The original idea to create material for the book and music publication was born from the need to serve the music club activity. The use of music and movement in language learning has many positive effects. It is known that processing of the music and languages work in the same areas in human brains.

The Wolof music club has performed in multicultural events such as Lasten Etnosoi! 2016 and 2019 and the World Village festival 2018, both in Helsinki Finland.

We have had workshops at our partner schools in Senegal. If you interested in getting a workshop for your school, please contact us sunuyxale@gmail.com

SUNUY XALE ORCHESTRA

Sunuy Xale orchestra plays music form Sunuy Xale album. Welcome to our music, culture and language journey to Senegal and Gambia. The orchestra will have short instrument presentation during concerts so you will know the names and stories behind all of these fascinating instruments! Concerts are interactive so the audience is invited to play, move, dance and enjoy with all senses. The target audience is children from 1 year to 10 years. The Orchestra has been performing in Finlands and in Senegal.