The Lebu (Lebou, ''Lébou'') are an ethnic group of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣� ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mau ...

, living on the peninsula of Cap-Vert. The Lebu are primarily a fishing community, but they have a substantial business in construction supplies and real estate.Keese, Alexander, "Ethnicity and the Colonial State: Finding and Representing Group Identifications in a Coastal West African and Global Perspective (1850–1960)", BRILL (2015), p. 94

/ref> They speak Lebu Wolof, which is closely related to Wolof proper but is not intelligible with it. Their political and spiritual capital is at Layene, situated in the Yoff neighborhood of northern

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in ...

. They have a religious sect and theocracy, the Layene, headquartered there. The traditional date of the founding of Yoff is 1430. Although they were conquered by the Kingdoms of Jolof (Diolof) and Cayor, and later the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

in the 19th century, and were incorporated into modern

, since 1815 they have had a special legal autonomy as a special kind of "theocratic republic". Lebu society emphasizes piety and respect for elders. Lebu families include not only living people but also associated ancestral spirits. The Lebu are noted for their public exorcism dances and rituals, often attended by tourists. Most Lebu are adherents of Islam. In addition to Yoff, other Lebu centres are nearby Ouakam,

Cambérène Cambérène is a commune d'arrondissement of the city of Dakar, Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wo ...

and

Ngor Ngor or Ngor Éwam Chöden (, ) is the name of a monastery in the Ü-Tsang province of Tibet about southwest of Shigatse and is the Sakya school's second most important gompa. It is the main temple of the large Ngor school of Vajrayana ...

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Serer people The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.

Wolof people The Wolof people () are a West African ethnic group found in northwestern Senegal, the Gambia, and southwestern coastal Mauritania. In Senegal, the Wolof are the largest ethnic group (~43.3%), while elsewhere they are a minority. They refer to ...

* Armand-Pierre Angrand, ''Les Lébous de la presqu'île du Cap-vert. Essai sur leur histoire et leurs coutumes'', Dakar, E. Gensul, 1946, 143 p. * Birahim Ba, ''La société lébu. La formation d’un peuple. La naissance d’un État'', Dakar, Université de Dakar, 1972, 206 p. (Mémoire de maîtrise) *

Georges Balandier Georges Balandier (21 December 1920 – 5 October 2016) was a French sociologist, anthropologist and ethnologist noted for his research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Balandier was born in Aillevillers-et-Lyaumont. He was a professor at the Sorbonne ( ...

et Pierre Mercier, ''Particularisme et évolution : les pêcheurs Lébou (Sénégal)'', Saint-Louis, Sénégal, Centre IFAN-Sénégal, 1952, 216p. * Adama Baytir Diop, ''La prise de position de la collectivité lebu en faveur du “oui” lors du référendum de 1958. Essai d’interprétation'', Dakar, Université de Dakar, 1985, 51 p. (Diplôme d’études approfondies) * Adama Baytir Diop, ''La communauté lebu face aux développement de la politique coloniale : la question des terrains de Dakar (1887-1958)'', Dakar, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, 1995, 277 p. (thesis) *

Cécile Laborde Cécile Laborde is a professor of political theory at the University of Oxford. Since 2017, she has held the Nuffield Chair of Political Theory and in 2013 she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. Her research focusses on republicanism, li ...

, ''La confrérie layenne et les Lébous du Sénégal : Islam et culture traditionnelle en Afrique'', Bordeaux, Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux, Université Montesquieu, 1995 * Colette Le Cour Grandmaison, ''Rôles traditionnels féminins et urbanisation. Lébou et wolof de Dakar'', Paris, EPHE, 1970, 4+310+23 p. (Thèse de 3e cycle, publiée en 1972 sous le titre ''Femmes dakaroises: rôles traditionnels féminins et urbanisation'', Abidjan, Annales de l’Université d’Abidjan, 249 p.) * M. Mbodji, "Tiané, une jeune fille en quête d'initiation: rêver chez les Wolof-Lébou, ou comment communiquer avec les ancêtres?", dans '' Psychopathologie africaine'', 1998–1999, vol. 29, n° 1, p. 7-21 * Mariama Ndoye Mbengue, ''Introduction à la littérature orale léboue. Analyse ethno-sociologique et expression littéraire'', Dakar, Université de Dakar, 1983, 378 p. (Thesis) * Médoune Paye, ''La collectivité lebu de Dakar : organisation, rôle politique dans les élections municipales de 1925 à 1934'', Dakar, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, 2001, 118 p. (Master's thesis) * Ousmane Silla, ''Croyances et cultes syncrétiques des Lébous du Sénégal'', Paris, EPHE, 1967, 517 p. (Thèse de 3e cycle) * Assane Sylla, ''Le Peuple Lébou de la presqu'île du Cap-Vert'', Dakar, Les Nouvelles Éditions africaines du Sénégal, 1992, 135 p. * Tamsir Sylla, ''Introduction à un thème négligé : révoltes et résistances en milieu lebou au XIXe siècle. Approche critique des sources'', Dakar, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, 1990, 36 p. (Mémoire de DEA) * Ibrahima Thiam, ''Ousmane Diop Coumba Pathé, personnalité politique lebu : 1867-1958'', Dakar, Université de Dakar, 1987, 46 p. (Diplôme d’Études Approfondies) * Guy Thilmans, "Étude de quelques crânes lébou (Sénégal)", ''Bulletin de l'IFAN'', 1968, t. 30, série B, 4, p. 1291-1297 {{Authority control Muslim communities in Africa Ethnic groups in Senegal 1430 establishments 15th-century establishments in Africa 1815 establishments in Africa

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Further reading