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Drinking the Word
   of God


Introduction

The Towns of Zinder and Bondoukou
• Zinder
• Bondoukou

The Production of Writing Water

Education and Scholarship in Zinder and Bondoukou
• Education
• Scholarship

Health, Well-Being and the Talismanic Tradition
• Erasure: Writing Water
• Talismans
• Special Prayers

Resources for Further Study

Acknowledgements

Comments

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Education and Scholarship in Zinder and Bondoukou


The curriculum of educational institutions in West Africa varies considerably. This diversity in both religious and secular education is shaped by the individual teachers and leaders of each community. In Bondoukou and Zinder, Islamic schools are supported by the local community and exist alongside public schools that are sponsored by the government. Children learn the fundamentals of religious knowledge, reading, writing and arithmetic. At more advanced levels, students may attend an Islamic university or continue their education with a local scholar who guides the pupil in the study Islamic jurisprudence, theology, rhetoric and literature. Scholars often serve as spiritual and moral leaders, and also may function as judicial advisers and personal healers. One's knowledge of the Qur'an (the most important religious text in Islam) and its attendant literature, coupled with other factors including age, charisma, and economic standing, determines a scholar's status in both public and private spheres.


Education

Scholarship

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