AP PHOTOS: The faces of pastoralists in Senegal, where connection to animals is key

By LEO CORREA and KRISTA LARSON The Associated Press
Amadou Altine Ndiaye stands for a portrait in the village of Yawara Dieri, in the Matam region of Senegal, Saturday, April 15, 2023. The 48 year-old herder, who had cattle and sheep present at his birth, says that he was born into pastoralism, and since then he has known only that. For Ndiaye, who began tending to his family's flock when he was just 8 years old, his profession is also an inherited tradition. "It's a source of pride. ... We Fulanis would be lost if we had to change our method of pastoralism because those who haven't studied couldn't adapt to modern methods," he says. "The best thing is to continue with our know-how." (AP Photo/Leo Correa)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Leo Correa]

FETE FORROU, Senegal (AP) — The Fulani people — also known as the Peuhl — are believed to be the largest seminomadic ethnic group in the world, with communities stretching from Senegal to the Central African Republic.

While some men in this Muslim ethnic group have attended Quranic school, most prepare for their future by learning the ways of animal herding alongside their elders.

“It’s a profession, but it’s also an inherited tradition,” says Amadou Altine Ndiaye, 48, who began tending to his family’s flock when he was 8. “It’s a source of pride.”

Now he’s working alongside his son-in-law, Moussa Ifra Ba. “I love pastoralism to the core,” the 28-year-old says.

Ba has grown especially attached to the family’s flock of sheep: “It’s a real friendship between you, and the male animals cry when they move away from you.”

“If you give a ram a name, after a month it remembers that name and as soon as you call it, it will come and join you.”

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EDITORS’ NOTE — This story is part of The Protein Problem, an AP series that examines the question: Can we feed this growing world without starving the planet? To see the full project, visit https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/the-protein-problem/index.html

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