Serigne “Mara” Diakhate is a native of Dakar, Senegal, and currently resides in Los Angeles, California, and in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a world traveler, entrepreneur, and Pan-Africanist. Mara is also the Founder /CEO of Da’African Village which serves as “a bridge of togetherness” between Africa and the United States.

His mission is to share the rich cultures and traditions of West Africa with the rest of the world. He believes that ‘if a person does not know where he came from, then he does not know where he’s going.‘ This is why educating others by equipping them with the knowledge of the history, cultures, and languages of West Africa has become his life’s work.

“Many years ago, during a tour to Senegal, I took a group of Americans to my grandparents’ home,” said Mara, “My grandma was very excited to meet and talk to them, and I was responsible for translating all communications. I taught the group a few words so that they could communicate directly with the family which made my grandma so happy! Seeing the joy in her eyes, made me realize how important and crucial writing this book is. It would also help in my mission of building a bridge of togetherness.”

“The book is written in an easy phonetic format for all English-speaking people,” Mara added, “And I carefully created a structure using the most useful day-to-day words and basic conversations. Anyone can pick up the book and begin speaking Wolof right away!”

“My goal is to reach people worldwide looking to travel to Senegal and teach them to become fluent in Wolof, our native tongue, in efforts to communicate effectively and develop relationships within the Senegalese community. I am currently working diligently to introduce this book as a language course curriculum to colleges and universities worldwide.”