VZCZCXRO0781
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0226/01 0551110
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241110Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1914
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000226 
 
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E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM KISL ECON SG
SUBJECT: Senegal: Massive pilgrimage to Touba underlines strength of 
the new Mouride Caliph 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 14 the Mouride brotherhood celebrated 
its annual pilgrimage known as the Magal or "elevation" in Wolof. 
The Magal commemorates the exile of the founder of the brotherhood, 
Ahmadou Bamba MBacke, to Gabon by French Colonial authorities in 
¶1895.  This year's Magal saw massive attendance and coincides with 
the completion of the first year of the rule of the new 
Caliph-General, Serigne Bara Mbacke.  End Summary. 
 
The Celebration of Resilience 
----------------------------- 
¶2. (SBU)  After seven years of exile and house arrest in Gabon, the 
founder of Mouridism returned to Senegal in 1902 to continue to lay 
down the groundwork for his vision of a non-violent Islamic movement 
to counter the influence of French colonialism.  Bamba's brand of 
Islam promoted a strong work ethic, self-reliance, and self-esteem 
in a society that had lost its identity following the expansion of 
colonization.  His exile is interpreted by Mourides as a spiritual 
retreat where Bamba worshipped God who in return rewarded him with 
the city of Touba. 
 
A Period of Transition 
---------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) This Magal coincides with Caliph Bara Mbacke's first year 
as leader of the Mourides.  He is the first grandson to inherit the 
caliphate and, judging from the massive attendance of the 
celebration, the transition seems to be proceeding well.  Atou 
Diagne, leader of the powerful Mouride NGO, Hizbut Tarquiyyah, told 
Embassy that this Magal is, "a new beginning, because when Serigne 
Bara became Caliph there was real tension within Mouridism.  There 
was a fear that some players outside the community would use this 
tension to fuel divisions in order to break their influence within 
Senegal.  Instead, what they got is a new vision and a Caliph who 
has really come into his own.  Many acolytes came from all over the 
country to revivify their faith and see for themselves the large 
renovation projects they had heard so much about." 
 
The Caliph's Message 
-------------------- 
¶4. (SBU) In his message, the Caliph called upon wealthy Senegalese 
within the country and abroad to invest in agriculture and industry 
to stem the tide of illegal migration among the country's youth.  He 
also called upon the state to support religious education in the 
formal system and to promote good citizenship.  He invited the 
leaders of the international community to promote peace and 
dialogue, which he said are the only ways to guarantee security and 
prosperity for mankind. 
 
If you Don't Build Touba, God Will Send Angels To Do It 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶5. (SBU) The new Caliph has initiated projects that are expected to 
cost some fourteen billion CFA (28 million dollars).  These include 
the enlargement of the grand Mosque of Touba, the renovation of the 
electricity grid, and roadwork aimed at connecting the city's major 
squares (known as Pinth) to the city's ring road to increase traffic 
flow.  In the past year alone, the Caliph has spent 1.3 billion CFA 
(2.5 million dollars) of his personal funds on the Mosque.  With 
that money he has, for example, made a payment to purchase marble 
that will pave 25,000 square meters around the Mosque.  He has also 
announced that he will soon lay the foundation of an Islamic 
University that will be home to 30,000 students from Senegal and 
abroad.  This project is the physical embodiment of one of the 
tenets of Mouridism that a disciple should "worship God enlightened 
by science and anchored on good behavior."  Recalling the words of 
Bamba that "if the Mourides do not build the Mosque of Touba, God 
would send angels to do it," the Caliph said the same applies today 
for the city of Touba, as the state has promised much, but delivered 
very little. 
 
Effort at Transparency 
---------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) At a recent ceremony to launch public works in Touba, a 
spokesperson of the Caliph gave a detailed financial accounting of 
the projects being conducted in Touba.  This is unprecedented and 
shows that Bara is aware that, unlike his predecessors who were 
venerated, some will hold him accountable and it is in his interest 
to be transparent to maintain his authority.  It was revealed that 
his predecessor Serigne Saliou spent some 6 billion CFA (12 million 
dollars) on a variety of infrastructure projects and that the 
Mouride community's bank account known as the Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba 
Account had a balance of 16.97 billion CFA (approximately 34 million 
dollars).  He also said that President Wade had given a contribution 
of 2 billion CFA (4 million dollars) to the late Caliph; but that he 
later took it back to pay the Chinese company Henan Chine that build 
the NGabu Road, a new five-mile highway that makes access to Touba 
easier.  Wade's reason was that the GOS had failed to budget the 
cost of the road. 
 
A Political and Diplomatic Center 
 
DAKAR 00000226  002 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) A week before the Magal, political leaders of all stripes 
flocked to Touba to re-affirm their spiritual and political 
allegiance to the Caliph.  Leading the pack was President Wade who 
spent the night of February 9 in Touba, met twice with the Caliph, 
and visited ongoing infrastructure projects.  Wade's most 
significant act was that he came with his son Karim to officially 
introduce him to the Caliph.  This is the clearest step yet in 
building Karim into a potential successor.  Wade asked for support 
for Karim, whom he dubbed, "an honest and hard-working leader." 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶8. (SBU) In contrast to the government, the Mourides continue to 
show an economic dynamism that seems to belay the financial crisis 
that is affecting the country at large.  The new Caliph is committed 
to modernizing the city of Touba and boosting higher education, 
areas that his predecessors had largely neglected.  This Magal has 
also served to further shore up the Caliph's authority over the 
Brotherhood.  Attendance was at an all-time high and the city of 
Touba itself is undergoing many changes that are being welcomed by 
the local populace.  This bodes well for the future of the Mourides 
and, by extension, represents one source of stability in Senegal. 
Bernicat