{"id":3646,"date":"2020-12-12T12:26:11","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T17:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nehajami\/?page_id=3646"},"modified":"2025-03-28T11:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T15:38:08","slug":"marsiya-serin-masamba-mbakke","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nehajami\/the-four-languages\/wolof\/wolof-manuscripts\/marsiya-serin-masamba-mbakke\/","title":{"rendered":"Elegy for S\u00ebri\u00f1 Masamba Mbakke (Marsiya S\u00ebri\u00f1 Masamba Mbakke)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Quick Jump:<\/em> Manuscript<\/a> || Transcription\/Translations<\/a> || Multimedia<\/a><\/p>\n

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Title<\/td>\nElegy for S\u00ebri\u00f1 Masamba Mbakke (Marsiya S\u00ebri\u00f1 Masamba Mbakke)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Author or Owner<\/td>\nSerigne Moussa Ka, also known as S\u00ebri\u00f1 Muusaa Ka<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Subject<\/td>\nBiography, Elegy, History, Muridiyya, Bamba, French Colonial Government<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Content<\/td>\nThe poem was written by the most prolific Wolof Ajami poet, Serigne Moussa Ka also known as S\u00ebri\u00f1 Muusaa Ka (1889-1963). It is<\/span> a poetic elegy for S\u00ebri\u00f1 Masamba Mbakke, the younger brother of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, founder of the Muridiyya Sufi order. The poem retraces his life from his birth in Mbakke-Kadjoor to his death in Kawlax (or Kaolack), highlighting his great achievements and the miracles he performed or witnessed. The poem repeatedly refers to Masamba as Bamba\u2019s scribe, indicating that he wrote down and recited many of the saint\u2019s poems. It places special attention on his devotion to Bamba and his advanced Islamic education. It also makes numerous mentions of his generosity to the poor, noting that he gave away significant sums of both money and livestock frequently, while eschewing personal wealth. The poem also touches on several historical events, including Bamba\u2019s exile to Gabon, his travels in Mauritania and Senegal, and tensions between the Murids and the French colonial government. Readers will notice several metaphors that appear in the document: the comparison of the Murid order, embodied in Bamba, to the ocean; that of a train, tickets and baggage for one\u2019s life and achievements, and that of the eyes and vision, wherein the author refers to Shaykh Amsatu as the pupils of his eyes. But above all, the poem shows the intense personal connection between Masamba and Bamba, his spiritual father.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Genre<\/td>\nPoem<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Language<\/td>\nWolof<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Script<\/td>\nWolof Ajami<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manuscript condition<\/td>\nHandwritten, good condition<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Type<\/td>\nHandwritten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Publisher<\/td>\nUnpublished<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Provenance<\/td>\nTouba, Senegal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Source Reference<\/td>\nFallou Ngom\u2019s personal collection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Access condition and copyright<\/td>\nThese 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).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Contributors<\/td>\nFallou Ngom, Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Cheikh Mouhamadou S. Diop, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Gana Ndiaye, Martin Aucoin, Eric Schmidt, Alison Parker, Frank Antonelli, Shawn Provencal, and Mark Lewis.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Required citation information<\/td>\nFallou Ngom (PI), Elhadji Djibril Diagne, Cheikh Mouhamadou S. Diop, Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Martin Aucoin, and other contributors. 2022. \u201cElegy for S\u00ebri\u00f1 Masamba Mbakke.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/nehajami\/the-four-languages\/wolof\/wolof-manuscripts\/marsiya-serin-masamba-mbakke\/<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
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Manuscript <\/em><\/h3>\n

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<\/em>View or download a full-quality manuscript PDF here<\/a>.
\nView or download a reduced file size manuscript PDF here<\/a>.
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