Soufis anticolonial legacy fuels political debate in Senegal

In a secular Senegal deeply shaped by Sufi brotherhoods, religious fervor often intertwines with political agendas. The historical figures of Senegalese Islam are now at the heart of sovereignist speeches, with leaders like Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko drawing from their legacy to craft a national identity free from foreign influences.

Both the president and the president of the National Assembly share a key conviction: the necessity of maintaining strong ties with religious dignitaries. Days before the Grand Magal pilgrimage, the head of state visited Serigne Mountakha Mbacké, the general khalif of the Mouride brotherhood in Touba. Days later, Ousmane Sonko followed suit. This institutional pilgrimage underscores the immense influence of these spiritual guides, often described as “the nation’s binding force” amid regime crises.

During his visit, Ousmane Sonko took an ideological step further by claiming the legacy of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, founder of the Mouride brotherhood and a symbol of peaceful resistance against French colonizers. The president of the National Assembly drew parallels between his policies and Bamba’s model, renowned for rejecting French funding to “ensure the independence of believers’ communities.”

Nationalist revival through religious lens

This revival is no coincidence. It reflects a broader intellectual movement rediscovering the anticolonial past of religious leaders. Cheikh Gueye, a Mouride researcher and disciple, explains: “More people are rediscovering Senegal’s Islamic figures through an anticolonial and political prism.”

This movement highlights figures like Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, El Hadj Oumar Tall of the Tijaniyya brotherhood, and Thierno Souleymane Baal, who founded a theocratic state in the 18th century. These icons are championed by sovereignist activists, such as those in the Frapp movement, as “sources of political inspiration without sanctifying them.”

Yet this unifying narrative sometimes clashes with historical complexities. Some religious leaders later facilitated the recruitment of tirailleurs for France—a contradiction that today’s youth, with their more critical mindset, appear ready to acknowledge. Mamadou Fall, editor of the upcoming General History of Senegal, emphasizes the need to integrate these religious figures into school curricula while acknowledging their nuances, noting that some anticolonial heroes are viewed elsewhere as “violent conquerors who arrived with swords in hand.”