Historic photo of Sheikh Amadou Bamba Djourbel, Senegal, 1913 Photo by Don Cole

“It is said that wherever the Holy Man’s image can be found, it instantly changes the environment. It comes directly from the Holy Man. Whenever you enter the room, all you need to do is look at the picture.”
—Mor Gueye, Sengalese Glass Painter
It is unlikely that another image exists, facilitating such a strong visual culture as the infinitely reproduced 1913 photo of Mouride religious leader Sheikh Amadou Bamba. This black and white photograph, the only photograph of the Saint, has been reproduced across nearly every medium because of the Mouride belief that the Saint is found in his image. Representations directly derived from the photograph are visible everywhere in the streets of Senegalese cities such as Touba and Dakar.

Mor Gueye Noah’s Ark, 1992 Reverse glass painting Glass, paint, cardboard and tape 57.7 x 71.5 cm Private Collection Photo by Don Cole

Familiar to Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike, this reverse glass painting by Senegalese artist Mor Gueye depicts Noah’s Ark, as the Qur’an shares many stories with the Old Testament. While glass paintings like Mor Gueye’s are primarily a tourist trade today, these paintings are derived from banned Islamic prints depicting religious scenes. When prohibited by the French colonialists, Sufi artists copied the images by placing a plate of glass atop the print and copying it.
Gueye considers the act of painting to be a form of prayer, as Sheikh Amadou Bamba believed work to be prayer. Popular with tourists, Gueye finds himself painting many scenes having little to do with Bamba; however, he believes that solely by having images of the Sheikh amongst the souvenir images, he is able to transmit a blessed energy referred to by Mourides as baraka onto passing tourists.

Pape Mamadou Samb (Papisto Boy) Painted mural detail showing Reverend Martin Luther King and the Archangel Gabriel in the form of a dove, 1997–1998 Dakar, Senegal Photograph by Mary Nooter Roberts and Allen F. Roberts, 1999

This image comes from a six hundred-foot mural by Mouride artist Pape Mamadou Samb (better known as “Papisto Boy”), which was painted on the exterior of factory walls in an industrial neighborhood of the port of Dakar. However, the wall was later torn down and the mural was destroyed. Through his devotional works, Papisto educates people about Amadou Bamba. He calls upon a panoply of global freedom fighters, heroes of resistance, revolutionaries, and “messengers”of the Saint. Portraits of Che Guevara, Jimi Hendrix, and Martin Luther King can be discerned among more local personalities.
In this section, we see the lion of courage gazing at the Reverend Martin Luther King. The Archangel Gabriel, a popular icon within Mouride art, brings Dr. King the Holy Bible as a gift from God, in the form of a dove. According to Papisto “Martin Luther King fought against oppression and evil. He didn’t fight for Senegal, but he fought for the whole world. He is like Amadou Bamba who blesses our hearts because he has endured sadness in order to encourage us and to give us freedom.”

Viye Diba Musical Materiality, 1998 Wood, cloth, paint and cordage 156.6 x 168 cm UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History Photo by Don Cole

Viye Diba was trained in art education at the National School of Fine Arts in Dakar, where he also has worked as a professor. His education continued at the Teachers’ College for Art Education in Dakar. Diba remains interested in the environment and considers himself a researcher as he continues to teach and make art.
Musical Materiality is a departure into freestanding sculpture from Diba’s more two-dimensional work. The pendant pieces of distressed wood wrapped in cloth make several references at once: to the keys of balaphones (marimbas), a Senegalese instrument, hence the materialization of their music; to the space of Senegalese dance and theatricality; and to the clubs and patchwork clothing of Baye Falls, who live Amadou Bamba’s phenomenology of work and the sense of “unity in diversity” one gains from the Saint’s teaching.

Restaurant Doors depicting Sheikh Amadou Bamba Artist unknown Dakar, Senegal Mid to late 20th Century Paint on metal 205 x 65.5 cm, each UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History Photo by Don Cole

A representation of the visual culture of Senegal, these bakery doors have meticulously beautiful representations of Sheikh Amadou Bamba and his first and most ardent disciple, Sheikh Ibra Fall. From the capital city of Senegal, these doors are only one sample of many places of work in Dakar with images of the Saint. Ibra Fall is often shown in the workplace because he led a life of constant work.
Similar to the photograph of Bamba, there is merely one photograph of Ibra Fall, and all representations are derivatives of the photograph. An anonymous Mouride told Mary and Allen Roberts, “Work becomes a privileged instrument for reinforcing faith, a powerful tool for controlling passions and appetites, a source of spiritual elevation.”

Elimane Fall Le Travail (Work), 1999 Paint, Linen, wood, and nails 40”x 28” UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History Photo by Don Cole

“Work as if you’ll never die.”
—Sheikh Amadou Bamba
In conjunction with the exhibition, Senegalese artist Elimane Fall visited the University of Illinois campus to discuss his painting and its connections to the teachings of both Amadou Bamba and Ibra Fall. Elimane paints followers of Ibra Fall in a movement by the name of Baye Fall; hard working, simple living, devout followers of both Ibra Fall and Amadou Bamba sacrifice their belongings and live a life of work and prayer.
Incorporated in Le Travail (Work) is Arabic calligraphy and Mouride Iconography depicted in Elimane’s highly graphic paint handling. The text states, “In the Name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful” and “Blessedness for a servant of God, a faithful seeker.” Amadou Bamba is said to have written seven metric tons during his lifetime despite being illiterate. Represented here alongside the Saint’s verse are imag