The Evolution of the Senegalese Social Contract: Religious Leaders in Politics

Senegal is a secular republic where the vast majority of the population is Muslim (94%). Islam in Senegal has been built with the religious current known as “Sufism” (Kung, 2010: 450-470). In this branch of Islam the spiritual leader, called a “marabout”, has an appreciable and important impact on his disciples. Thanks to the trust and admiration of the population, these marabouts have built a strong patronage network (Beck, 2002:532). During the colonial experience, the French administration agreed to negotiate with the Muslim elite to capture this popular support. This informal agreement allowed a peaceful coexistence: the French colonial power received popular support while religious leaders gained several benefits including some recognition of Islam as a state religion (O’Brien, 2002:27). This compromise, described as the Senegalese social contract by O’Brien (O’Brien, 1981), was renewed by the new political leaders in the 60s. For over 25 years presidents Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906-2001) and Abdou Diouf had received unconditional support from the spiritual leaders in exchange for some presents and advantages. However, for more than 15 years the Senegalese social contract was questioned by the people. Thus, some disciples seem to challenge the closeness between spiritual and political leaders (Samson, 2006:5). Despite this contestation, the candidates in the Senegalese presidential elections still try to get closer to the spiritual leaders to demand their support.