Soccer Championship of Senegal’s two biggest tribes: Wolof versus Peol.

In the west of Aguadulce, before the fields of the greenhouses, our little CISV team arrived at a big soccer field. The field was built by the immigrant community in the area because the immigrant settlers had no place to play soccer without disturbing the neighbourhood.  The government gave them a piece of land for themselves. They flattened the area and built a shelter for various table games beside it a soccer field with plants. Illegal immigrants to Spain tend to live in settlements together with people of their own nationality or tribe, for example the different ethnic groups of Senegal (Wolof, Peul and Toucouleur being the three largest) have distinct and separate communities here in Spain. However, the community centre and football pitch provide a place for different groups of immigrants to come together and interact.
Before the soccer game we met some of the immigrants and watched how skilled and fast they were atplaying checkers and cards: The concentration and motivation of the players was amazing, not to mention the excitement of the surrounding onlookers. Then the music started and the attention turned to the soccer game. Some of  the footballers even play in the Spanish second league. It was a hot, long and very competitive game between the Wolof and Peol teams, but in the end the Wolof prevailed, winning 3 – 2. But there were no losers; each team celebrated by dancing – even the CISV team joined in – and received trophies. The experience provide us an opportunity to meet some of the immigrant community in their own environment, and to show u show a little piece of their culture, their skill and social activity. What an experience!