In Senegal, one of the most significant Islamic practices is dhikr, whereby people across urban areas loudly and melodically recite God’s name, especially at night. More than 90 percent of Senegalese are said to be Muslim, and most of them adhere to Sufi doctrines that each possess their own style of dhikr. This article elucidates the relation between the musical structures of dhikr and the contexts of religious practices in which dhikr is conducted, focusing on the doctrine of Niassene, which is widespread in West Africa. In the Niassene doctrine, there are two main types of religious practices where dhikr is conducted: hadra, the religious gathering related to Friday prayer; and daayira, the local religious meeting. The fieldwork revealed that the melodies of dhikr are distinct in each type of practice. In hadra, people always recite the same melody and all disciples chant simultaneously. Conversely, in daayira, various melodies are chanted. The religious singers lead dhikr while improvising the melody, and the other disciples follow. It is suggested that the dhikr of daayira is more adaptable and clearly reflects the ritual, social, and musical values of the community.

This study explores the information exchange via social networking services (SNS) that influences small-scale farmers’ livelihood strategies in the digital era. We analyzed the content of posts and comments in Facebook groups created for shrimp farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The posts were made by traders of input materials or shrimp, shrimp farmers, or both of them. We categorized the traders’ posts into three types: advertisements, deals in shrimp, and recruitments. Posts from both traders and shrimp farmers primarily focused on explanations of shrimp farming skills, and opinions on the shrimp farming situation in Vietnam. The farmers’ posts were classified as consultations on daily challenges in shrimp farming. Overall, advertisements from input dealers constituted the majority of posts. An unspecified number of readers followed multidirectional discussions categorized as explanations of shrimp farming skills, opinions on the shrimp farming situation in Vietnam, or consultations on daily challenges in shrimp farming. These discussions allowed readers to raise sensitive issues specific to shrimp farming that were often difficult to address due to community-based relationships. The findings indicate that SNS plays a significant role in helping shrimp farmers face their challenges.