This research in the Casamance region was part of the Master’s of Art African Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Making this website essentially my thesis. The choice for a website was taken because of the large number of pictures and videos I took during my research and thinking that these important bits of data would not be able to be properly analysed on a simple document.

For this research, I would like to thank first and foremost my parents, who have supported me through easy and hard times and who have always loved me. Second, are my supervisors, Dr. Lidewyde Berckmoes & Prof. Dr. Mirjam de Bruijn, who assisted me with their invaluable knowledge throughout this research and who are excellent members of the African Studies Centre at Leiden University. And of course, all the people I have met throughout my stay in Senegal, I am eager to go back and meet them again.

I am greatly interested in African politics and especially conflicts on the continent. I got interested in this topic during my Bachelor’s degree in Security Studies at Leiden after having been assigned to write an essay on farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria and being gifted a book about African politics, asking myself the question “Why do I not know more about this?”.

The topic of ordinary people in these conflicts, as well as anywhere else in the world, is of particular interest to me as one would often only hear about them in case of a conflict-related tragedy, often portrayed in the media as passive victims, even though this is often far from the truth. It is therefore important to me to understand what these people think and what drives them. Even though governments, armies and NGOs can negotiate and determine the course of a conflict, it is ultimately up to these ordinary people to rebuild and maintain peace in their own homes.

Many of my former colleagues at my part-time job in a fast food restaurant during the BSc Security Studies arrived in the Netherlands as refugees as well, allowing me to gain insights into their stories and how their experiences shaped their outlooks, getting me also interested in this particular topic related to conflict. This was first put into practice while volunteering for humanitarian aid work during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and seeing its consequences on ordinary people.

The research in Senegal was a beautiful experience I look back on fondly although it had its hard times as well. The people in Senegal have been incredibly friendly and I was pleasantly surprised by how people accepted my presence and my questions about their lives regarding the conflict and other socio-political struggles that they encountered. I am still in contact with many people in Ziguinchor, participants of this research and others included, and everyone is doing fine to my pleasure.

This research was an extra challenge for me because it was my first time in Africa, having never left the European Union before this trip, except for brief trips to Ukraine. Still, I have never regretted doing this research for a second, even when things got hard. Prior to arriving in Senegal, I stayed with friends visiting family in Kenya for three weeks before flying from Nairobi to Senegal. I want to thank them as well for giving me a great introduction to the start of this research trip.

I thank you for taking the time to read this website if you have made it this far. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to get in touch, please feel free to reach out through the links below and I will try and get back to you.

Sweder A. G. Breet

Me in front of the statue of Emile Badiane, founder of the MFDC, in Bignona, Senegal.
Picture by M. Diop.