This Monday, May 2, is a public holiday in Senegal, as in many Muslim countries, for the Korité festival, or Aïd el Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. In the capital, a crowd of worshipers gathered on Monday morning at the Grand Mosque of Dakar.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac
From 9 a.m., the Great Mosque of Dakar is full. Latecomers settle outside. Mohammed, 22, is happy to be reunited after two years of restricted access due to the Covid-19 pandemic. ” I came here with friends to wish each other happiness and courage. »
After the prayer, some take pictures in front of the mosque, in elegant boubous. ” There were lots of people inside, everywhere. It’s a magnificent image because with the Covid, it was not possible. But this year, God made us happy. »
Ismaël Barry is preparing for a day of family visits: “ We talk as a family and we also ask for forgiveness. “Pope Sy, he came as a neighbor, with a smile, even if the Korité is a bit ” morose this year, he said. ” With the ups and downs in that world, we pray for everyone, for the war to end in Ukraine, for the conflicts in Africa to fade, and above all for peace. »
Also coming to pray at the Grand Mosque, President Macky Sall called for a rapid return to peace in Ukraine on which ” the economic and social stability of the world “.
It’s all of Africa that suffers and it’s the whole world that suffers. That is why we pray for a speedy return to peace in Ukraine.
Speech by President Macky Sall at the Grand Mosque of Dakar.