The Grand Magal in Touba: A Religious Festival of the Mouride Brotherhood of Senegal

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Periodical article

Title:	The Grand Magal in Touba: A Religious Festival of the Mouride Brotherhood of Senegal
Author:	Coulon, Christian
Year:	1999
Periodical:	African affairs: the journal of the Royal African Society
Volume:	98
Issue:	391
Period:	April
Pages:	195-210
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Senegal
Subjects:	Muslim brotherhoods Islam pilgrimages Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Religion and Witchcraft Mourides rituals & festivals Sufism
Link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/723626
Abstract:	The 'grand magal' is the annual festival of the Mouride brotherhood in Senegal. It takes the form of a pilgrimage to the holy place of the brotherhood, the town of Touba, which contains the mausoleum of Cheikh Amadu Bamba, the founder of the order. This article first gives a background sketch describing the hero of the festival, Amadu Bamba, and the place where it occurs, Touba. Then it examines the 'grand magal' as an expression of the Mourides' popular culture and piety. It emphasizes the different rituals which shape the celebration, distinguishing between strictly religious rites, rites of a more political nature, and recreational elements. It analyses the meaning of the festival both within broader Senegalese society and in respect to the State, and demonstrates that the pilgrimage should be situated in the political sphere if it is to be understood fully. Notes, ref., sum.