International Luncheon at Goshen College offers a taste of Senegal on April 10

GOSHEN, Ind. – Despite its economic hardships and with a diverse ethnic population, Senegal is known worldwide by travelers as the land of teranga, or hospitality in Wolof, one of its official languages. As part of the Goshen College Afternoon Sabbatical Series, on April 10 an international luncheon will be offered at noon in the College Church Fellowship Hall focusing on this welcoming country.

Goshen College Assistant Professor of Art Gwen Penner and Suella Lehman Gerber, co-leaders of the Summer 2006 Study-Service Term unit will host the meal. Participants will have a traditional Senegalese meal similar to what their students enjoyed during their three-month stay in the country. Penner and Gerber will help others experience the sights and sounds of daily life in Senegal, from the busy capital city of Dakar, to the beautiful beaches, to “the cloth, the flowers, the totally beat-up taxi that is still collecting fares and 
the precious children,” said Penner.

Teranga is a big part of the Senegal experience, as the Senegalese are known for being open and welcoming to visitors. Penner was particularly drawn to the hospitality shown by the families of the students. “Visiting students and getting to meet families in the villages was really special,” Penner said. “
I am not sure I can describe the hospitality and genuine interest in
 sharing their lives with foreigners. People are really important, especially family. People are so friendly and willing
 to extend themselves.”

Penner most appreciated the pace of life in Senegal, which was a change from the United States. “When the power went out, which happened almost every day for several hours, the only thing to do was get out the candle and sit and talk to people,” said Penner. “They are used to
 living in an environment where things come up frequently so they just
 are very flexible.”

Besides teranga, Penner also wants to touch on the contrasts within Senegal during the luncheon. “Like here [in the United States], there are very rich people,” Penner said. “Jaguars were not
 uncommon cars. But there are very, very poor people, as well.”

Senegal is located in the westernmost part of West Africa, a mix of tropical and desert environments. A country that has only been independent since 1960, Senegal was formerly a French colony, and today is considered one of Africa’s model democracies.

Cost for the luncheon is $25. To register, call the College Relations Office at (574) 535-7565.

Future lectures in the Afternoon Sabbatical series:

·    May 15, 1 p.m., Sauder Concert Hall, “Imagining the Serengeti: Landscape Memory as History in Tanzania,” with Jan Bender Shetler, associate professor of history. Free

·    May 16, Chicago bus trip to see “The Color Purple.” (FULL)

Goshen College’s Afternoon Sabbatical program is in its 30th year of offering rich diversity in programs for the community. A committee of area representatives and college personnel look to the wealth of knowledge and talent at Goshen College and among Elkhart County citizens and selects programs that will appeal to a wide variety of interests. Programs have an integral connection to the college, either through subject matter or in ways in which the campus and community are interrelated.

– by Megan Blank

Editors: For more information about this release, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.