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Getting married in Senegal Layene-style!

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Once a year members of the Muslim Layene community in Senegal organise a collective wedding presided over by the religious leader.

Women singing at Grand Yoff beach in Dakar at the annual Layene Muslim collective wedding on 6 January, 2018
Women singing at Grand Yoff beach in Dakar at the annual Layene Muslim collective wedding on 6 January, 2018 Emmanuelle Landais
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The cost of getting married is dramatically reduced - with couples spending just a symbolic €20 for the dowry.

Afterwards, families may hold a small celebration amongst themselves.

It’s a contrast to traditional weddings in Senegal that can be a financial burden for families who save for years to be able to host hundreds of guests and family members.

Emmanuelle Landais went to the religious capital of the Layene brotherhood, the third largest in Senegal, on the outskirts of Dakar to witness 132 couples being married, at this year’s collective wedding.

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