From Senegal To Montreal

I am originally from Senegal, a country in West Africa. I have traveled the world, and have been to many countries that are in much better economic conditions than mine. However, I have yet to see a more knowledgeable group of people than the old Senegalese men and women living there.

There, knowledge is part of tradition! It is mostly transmitted orally and through observation. At an early age, young people are taught the necessary skills to function well and be effective in society. The system is both formal and informal. People are assigned or inherit certain positions and become experts as time goes by. Training is provided to those who need it, but most of the learning is done through observation. People skills ends up being the most important quality one may have.


Throughout this blog, I will go more in detail about how knowledge is managed, created and transferred in Senegal; from a societal and organizational perspective. As someone who mostly lived in urban areas and has been in Montreal forever, I am constantly reminded when I go back home that graduating from great high schools and studying at a top university does not make me knowledgeable one bit...