Judith Quax

Touba

Touba is a holy city in central Senegal. At the annual religious gathering ‘Magal de Touba’ millions of pilgrims travel to this city to honour God and their spiritual leader Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba. In 1883 Bamba founded the Mouridism, a Sufi Muslim order. Bamba was a Muslim mystic who wrote hundreds of religious poems. At the Magal the Mourides sing these poems and during two days and nights Touba is filled with the sound of singing and drumming. Drummers seduce the pilgrims to dance and people are excited to receive the blessings of their spiritual leader.