The Grand Magal in Senegal
The Grand Magal de Touba is one of Senegal’s most important religious events in the country’s social calendar. Followers of the particular sect of Islam that the event celebrates flock to the country every year by the millions. In this article, we’ll illuminate all the details about what started this mass movement, and how it’s come to impact this diverse and vibrant country.
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What is Grand Magal in Senegal?
Known locally as ‘Le Grand Magal de Touba’, the Grand Magal is a religious pilgrimage that happens in Senegal every year during the second month of the Islamic calendar. It’s undertaken by followers of the Mouride brotherhood, which is an order associated with the Sufi branch of Islam. This pilgrimage is one of the most popular in the world, with over three million people worldwide participating each year.
Pilgrims from over 47 cities in Europe and 16 cities in North America (perhaps even more by the time of this writing) will travel to the Mouribe city of Touba in Senegal. There they’ll celebrate the life and teachings of Amadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride brotherhood.
Amadou Bamba taught the three pillars of Mouridism, which are:
Islam by Fiqh (the human understanding of Sharia)
Imam (to have faith or recognition) by the Six Articles of Faith
Ihsan (beautification through works) by Tasawwuf (Sufism)
Rites and ritual in the Grand Magal Festival
The Grand Magal of Touba attracts more attention than any other event – religious or secular – in Senegal. Pilgrims will often engage in some of the following rites and rituals, as part of their trip to Touba:
Circumambulation - walking around the Great Mosque of Touba.
Visiting the mausoleum of Amadou Bamba - a place believed to be imbued with barakah or ‘spiritual power’.
Dropping coins in the tomb - people often wait over six hours to pray at the mausoleum, or drop coins in the tomb.
Visiting mausoleums of other important Mouride leaders - many of whose tombs are located near the mosque.
Visiting the ‘Well of Mercy’ - said to be created by God to flow through Cheik Amadou Bamba.
Visiting the central library of Touba - which contains writings by the Cheik and other influential Mourides.
Visiting Mouride spiritual guides - also known as marabouts.
History of the Grand Magal Festival in Senegal
The Mouride brotherhood was first established in 1883. The founder, Amadou Bamba, was considered by believers to be a mujaddid – or ‘renewer of Islam’. Four years later, he established the city of Touba. Bambou led a pacifist struggle against French colonialism, which sought to establish Christianity in the region. He was successful in keeping the spirit of Islam alive there instead.
Between 1895-1902, the French sent Bamba into exile, which only further inspired his followers. In 1910, they released him, allowing him to return to his expanded community in Touba. In 1926, his movement continued to grow and he began to establish the Great Mosque in Touba. Bamba died a year later, where he was buried next to the Great Mosque. The Grand Magal Festival then began in 1928, one year after Bamba’s death, as followers flocked to these popular pilgrimage sites.
Significance of The Grand Magal Festival
The Grand Magal Festival is important because it commemorates Islamic spiritual leaders who are key followers of the faith. The festival itself has provided a sense of stability in Senegal and created widespread national harmony. Every year during the festival, Touba residents open up their homes so that the pilgrims can stay with them, without needing to book hotels.
As to be expected with such a huge influx of tourism, the Grand Magal Festival results in a major increase in spending in Senegal. The greatest increases can be seen in food, catering, transportation, employment and even remittances! Remittances which the WorldRemit app can help facilitate.
Send money to Senegal with WorldRemit
Know someone who is undertaking a pilgrimage to Senegal? You can send them money through the handy WorldRemit app to make sure they have everything they need to make the journey. Whether that’s to book flights, to find accommodation (if the locals are all booked up!), or to feed their families during the trip.
WorldRemit makes sending to Senegal – or anywhere else in the world – as easy as tapping the app. You can sign up in seconds, and send your first three transfers for free with code 3FREE. Together, we can make a world of difference.
The contents of this blog post do not constitute legal or financial advice and are provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice, you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.
