Poem of the Mosque of Touba (Wolofalu Jumaa ji)
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| Title | Poem of the Mosque of Touba (Wolofalu Jumaa ji) |
| Author or Owner | Serigne Moussa Ka, also known as Sëriñ Muusaa Ka |
| Subject | Construction of the Mosque of Touba, History, Muridiyya |
| Content | The poem was written by the most prolific Wolof Ajami poet, Serigne Moussa Ka also known as Muusaa Ka (1889-1963). It consists of 1647 verses, written between 1932 and 1963. It is the most comprehensive document on the construction of the Mosque of Touba (one of the largest in West Africa). The poem traces its construction from groundbreaking up through completion of the minarets. It describes the rituals and ceremonies held at the mosque’s groundbreaking, symbolized by the prayers of Serigne Moustapha Mbacké (also known as Hamdi Mustafaa) who served as the first Caliph of the Muridiyya, before following the different stages of the mosque’s construction until his death. It then describes how his successor Serigne Falilou Mbacké (also known as Al-Hājj Faḍīlu, Falilou, Sëriñ Fàllu or Fallu) supervised the completion of the mosque. Among the many verses are covered topics such as the mosque’s planning, dimensions, the division of labor, fundraising, and the challenges faced in the process. Also of note is a lengthy telling of the different individuals and communities who contributed either financial resources, came to work on the mosque or who quarried rocks for the foundation. But perhaps most importantly, it gestures to the immense role that both Serigne Mustafaa and Serigne Fàllu played as leaders and supervisors during the construction. The poem also contains numerous Islamic references and metaphors drawn from the local Wolof culture, including both agricultural and culinary metaphors, and one in which the author compares Mustafaa’s resolve to that of a cobra. Finally, the poem highlights the immense importance of the mosque itself, which in the author’s eyes, raises Touba to the level of places like Mecca and Medina. |
| Genre | Poem |
| Language | Wolof |
| Script | Wolof Ajami |
| Manuscript condition | Unbound manuscript, due the poor conservation condition some pages and note pages are hard to read. |
| Type | Handwritten |
| Publisher | Unpublished |
| Provenance | Touba, Senegal |
| Source Reference | Fallou Ngom, Wolofalu Jumaa ji, British Library, EAP334/3/2: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP334-3-2; also see https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/2386 |
| Access condition and copyright | These materials are subject to copyright and are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For use, distribution or reproduction beyond these terms, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu). |
| Contributors | Fallou Ngom, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Gana Ndiaye, Martin Aucoin, Eric Schmidt, Cheikh Mouhamadou S. Diop, Alison Parker, Frank Antonelli, Shawn Provencal, and Mark Lewis. |
| Required citation information | Fallou Ngom (PI), Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Cheikh Mouhamadou S. Diop, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Martin Aucoin, and other contributors. 2022. “Poem of the Mosque of Touba.” https://sites.bu.edu/nehajami/the-four-languages/wolof/wolof-manuscripts/wolofalu-jumaa-ji/ |
Manuscript
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Transcription and Translations
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Multimedia