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“Mistress of a Married Man” is a hugely popular new television series in Senegal that has set off a fierce debate over contemporary womanhood in a largely Muslim nation.

It was a real honor to report this story, because it allowed me the opportunity to speak with dozens of people in and around Dakar about complex interpersonal issues: marriage, love, sex, a woman’s role in Senegalese society.

Thank you to everyone who shared with me.

The show is the brainchild of Kalista Sy, 34, a former television journalist in Senegal who wrote the pilot after typing “How do you write a script?” into Google.

Kalista told me that her north star is Shonda Rhimes, creator of hits like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal.