AA/ Dakar/ Alioune Ndiaye
Great crowd in Touba, capital of Mouridism in Senegal, on the occasion of the Grand Magal pilgrimage celebrated each year on the 18th day of the month of Safar (2nd month of the lunar calendar).
From the four corners of the country and even beyond, pilgrims had started on Saturday to rally the capital of Mouridism to celebrate the departure into exile of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927), founder of Mouridism, the most influential brotherhood in the country. .
“As for the benefits that God has granted me, my sole and sovereign gratitude no longer covers them. Therefore, I invite anyone who would be delighted by my personal happiness to join me in gratitude to God, each time the anniversary of my departure into exile finds it on earth”, indicated Serigne Ahma Diouf, member of the brotherhood, to explain the meaning of this religious meeting.
“Make recitals of the Koran or Khassaides (poems written by Cheikh Bamba) and address prayers to the Prophet Mohamed (Psl). Failing that, put yourself at the service of pilgrims. These are the acts approved to celebrate the Magal”, also noted Serigne Khadim Diop, disqualifying any other act on this day of recognition.
Hundreds of thousands of Mouride disciples answered the call in recognition and celebration of Islam in this 128th edition of Magal.
“I answered the call; what I do besides for 32 years in an uninterrupted way. We translate it into action by coming to the holy city of Touba. It is a victory for Islam because Serigne Touba (another name for Cheikh Bamba) has worked for the triumph of Islam,” insisted Abdoulaye Sarr, met on leaving the great mosque of Touba.
— Grand Mosque, center of attraction
This mosque, towards which all the streets of the city converge, giving Touba a particular architecture, is the main center of attraction of the Magal.
The Touba mosque which covers an area of 8790 m2 and has seven minarets, the highest of which stands 82 meters high. The place of worship whose walls, posts and floor are covered with blue marble and alabaster can accommodate more than 5,000 faithful, not taking into account the esplanade.
It is also within it that are the mausoleums of the founder of Mouridism and his sons who succeeded each other in the caliphate of the brotherhood.
There are thus long lines of faithful who form in the hope of gathering at the tombs of these religious guides, erected into veritable mausoleums designed with precious materials.
Dressed in a blue boubou and the scarf falling almost to her face, Marie Ndaw was able to meditate on the tomb of Serigne Saliou Mbacké (last son of Serigne Touba to be caliph).
“Glad to have sacrificed to this exercise. I prayed for the holy man but also for peace for our country and for everyone, ”said the fifty-year-old, reporting having spent more than five clocks in the queue.
“It was tough but it was worth it because Serigne Saliou is everything to me,” continued the lady from Bambilor (Rufisque department).
Cheikh Konaté, who comes from The Gambia, also spent hours before entering the mausoleum of Serigne Fallou Mbacké (2nd Caliph of the brotherhood).
“It’s a relief for me. No matter how long I would never have returned without sacrificing to this tradition. I did not know him during his lifetime but I remember him as a peacemaker and a great scholar thanks to the testimonies I received on his story, ”said Konaté in a black shirt with a photo of Serigne Fallou on his chest.
In this place where the lines of men and women are separated under the supervision of the organization Muhhadimatul Khidma in charge of the organization, groups of religious singers compete with ardor in the praises to Cheikh Bamba.
Panegyrical declamations in homage to the Sheikh burst out from all over the courtyard in perfectly mastered tunes to the delight of the faithful enchanted by the spectacle.
“These are poems written by Bamba that they are singing. The one in progress is Futzi that Serigne Touba wrote in homage to Mariama, the mother of the prophet Issa”, explained Bocar Sène, delighting in the sounds with snaps of his fingers.
— The Berndel, an important facet of the celebration
Beyond religious devotion, the Magal is also a good welcome and the preparation of tastings in quantity and quality.
“From pigeon to camel via sheep, goat or beef. Recommendation is given to any faithful who has it not to skimp on the means to restore the pilgrims”, noted Djiby Sène, one of the kitchen attendants at the home of a religious guide.
“The Mouride is a person who takes recommendations into account, so we can’t talk regarding Magal without mentioning the berndel (serving hearty dishes)”, continued Sène, assuring that more than two hundred people are busy in the kitchen. ‘he leads.
“It is very difficult for the religious guides to provide catering for the many disciples who come. This is why the dahiras (groups of faithful) who come participate according to their means. We for our part bought two oxen and gave an envelope of 500 thousand francs to our guide in support”, testified Doudou Guèye, responsible for a dahira from Dakar.
Touba is, in fact, the second most populated city in Senegal following Dakar with its 1.5 million inhabitants. The influx of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims makes this important facet of Magal a huge challenge.
“Wherever you go in the city, you will never see people asking for food. It is available everywhere; both in houses, in mosques and in the streets”, noted Ngor Ndour, a regular at Magal to mark the importance that the Mourides give to this prescription.
— Political dimension
The event also takes on a political dimension materialized by the ballet of political personalities who come to meet Serigne Mountakha Mbacké (current caliph and grandson of Cheikh Bamba).
President Macky Sall went there on Tuesday to collect prayers from the guide. An exercise to which the majority of opposition leaders and personalities from the business world have sacrificed.
In this perspective, the closing ceremony is being held on Friday under the chairmanship of the Caliph who will deliver his message in the presence of the Minister of the Interior and other members of the government and institutions of the Republic as well as foreign diplomats and representatives of civil society.
Round tables and conferences also take place during Magal, which has been declared a public holiday for more than a decade.
A Sufi figure born in 1953, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamaba Mbacké, still known as Serigne Touba, lived for seven years in exile in Gabon and Mauritania because of the French colonial power.
This ordeal passed, Cheikh Bamba who had set himself up as a peaceful resister to colonial domination was placed under house arrest for several more years in Diourbel (central Senegal).
Subsequently founder of the city of Touba in 1887, he died in 1927. His sons perpetuated his work through the caliphate. For several years now, it has been the era of grandsons in the caliphate of the powerful Mouride brotherhood.
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