« Nawlé da fort » : Jusqu’où irons-nous pour sauver les apparences à la Tabaski ?
Every year, Tabaski is said to be a festival of faith. And every year, it also becomes a test of social standing. In Dakar, as elsewhere, the same scene unfolds with almost mechanical precision. It begins with asking prices "just to see," and ends with bargaining over one's dignity. Between the rising cost of sheep and the unexpected, unseen expenses that pile up, the festival takes on the air of a calculated transaction rather than a celebration.
The sheep has become an economic indicator in its own right. It reveals inflation better than press releases. It speaks volumes about purchasing power better than statistics. And this year again, its message resonates strongly. In families, discussions no longer revolve solely around choosing the sheep, but around strategy: buying early or waiting until the last minute. The celebration sometimes begins with silent decisions made even before the market opens.
And yet, no one wants to give up. Because Tabaski, beyond being an expense, is above all a social pressure. You have to have a sheep no matter what, do as everyone else does to keep your head held high. Nawlé da fort. Even when money is tight.
The most striking thing is that all of this has become normal. We adapt to it, we sometimes laugh about it, we often complain about it, but we start all over again every year with the same tension. I'm telling you, Tabaski must remain a religious holiday and not a test of financial stability. A social mirror, in short!
Ultimately, the real question is no longer the price of the sheep. It's how long a society can continue to call normal what has long since ceased to be so.
Happy holiday to those who celebrate with their means, and courage to the others, for true piety has never required bankruptcy.
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