Sufi pilgrims descend into the holy city of Senegal

Huge crowds of worshipers converged on Sunday in the holy city of Touba, Senegal, as part of the traditional annual celebration of the Murid Brotherhood, a Sufi Islamic order.

AFP journalists saw pilgrims heading en masse to the sumptuous Grand Mosque of Touba in the city center, without being discouraged by the monster traffic jams or the threat of Covid-19.

The pilgrimage of the “Grand Magal” celebrates the date on which the French colonial authorities exiled the Mouride founder Cheikh Amadou Bamba, known as Serigne Touba.

It is one of the most important dates on the calendar in this West African country, and it usually attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees who celebrate Bamba by reciting his poems and praying near his grave.

Over 90 percent of Senegalese are Muslims and most of the faithful follow Sufi brotherhoods, which retain considerable economic and political weight.

“The Covid does not prevent us from doing Magal because we see Serigne Touba in everything we do,” said Pope Amadou Latyr Faye, a Mourid worshiper.

Senegal’s Sufi brotherhoods initially canceled gatherings in March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic hit the nation of 16 million people.

The faithful cannot enter the mosque without a mask. By CARMEN ABD ALI (AFP)

Despite fears of massive infections, the Mouride brotherhood sued the Magal in October last year, but forced worshipers to wear masks and observe social distancing.

Pape Ndiaye, a member of the pilgrimage organizing committee, told AFP that many worshipers seemed to have a more relaxed attitude this year.

“People think the pandemic is over,” he said.

“We pray that this will be the case, but we must continue to keep our masks on,” Ndiaye added. Worshipers cannot enter the mosque without one, he said.

Cheikh Amadou Bamba founded the holy city of Touba in 1888. It has since become the second in Senegal after the capital Dakar, with some 1.5 million inhabitants.

In addition to being a religious holiday, the Magal also has a political dimension, with the appearance of senior political leaders.

Senegalese authorities have recorded more than 73,000 cases of coronavirus to date, with 1,855 deaths.