Thousands of followers of a unique Senegalese Muslim community, the Baye Fall, worked with overflowing fervor one recent morning to prepare iftar meals to break the Ramadan fast, even though they were not fasting themselves.
Unlike other Muslims, the Baye Fall, for the most part, do not pray or fast, although these two practices are part of the five pillars of Islam.
Distinguished by their striking appearance, members of this religious group wear dreadlocks, multicolored patchwork outfits, and numerous accessories to which mystical powers are attributed.
In Senegal, where approximately 95% of the population is Muslim, most followers of Islam belong to one of the four Sufi brotherhoods: the Mourides, the Tidiane, the Layene or the Khadre, all of which play a major role in society.
Every Ramadan, the Baye Fall, who are Mourides, organize festivities in Touba, a city in central Senegal which is their capital, distributing iftar meals to thousands of people who come from all over the country to participate.
Spiritual practices
A vast square and its surroundings teemed with people and activity on that March morning, despite the stifling dust and heat.
Organized into groups and dressed in their emblematic clothing, the Baye Fall went about their business with devotion, while the smoke from the wood fire and the aromas of food floated in the air.
Men and women, young and old, helped with slaughtering livestock, preparing meals, cutting wood, collecting waste, and washing dishes.
Bayefallism was born more than a century ago and is inspired by the practices and life of Mame Cheikh Ibrahima Fall (1855-1930), known as "Lamp Fall" ("Fall of Light" in French), who was one of the first disciples of the founder of Mouridism, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba.
Hard work, altruism and the repeated invocation of God's name, as well as the service of iftar meals to the faithful, constitute the foundations of this faith, Abo Fall, one of Lamp Fall's descendants, told AFP.
Baye Fall literally means "disciple of Fall".
This is a "mystical Sufi Islam where every task, every duty performed represents a spiritual act," said Doudou Mane Diouf, author of a biography on Fall.
Since its creation, Bayefallism has attracted many people, not only in Senegal but also abroad.
According to contemporary accounts and testimonies, Fall devoted his life to serving his marabout, or spiritual guide, and neglected his own well-being.
His disciples say that he refused all forms of pleasure, never combed his hair and never changed his clothes, which he regularly mended with scraps of fabric, hence the dreadlocks and patchwork outfits of his disciples.
His appearance was also a way "to assert his African culture" in a context marked by colonization, Diouf told AFP.
"Completely unique"
Adam Khadim, born and raised in France in a Senegalese Baye Fall family, recently moved to Senegal in order to better live according to his faith.
Bayefallism gives him a feeling of "well-being," he said, even though it is "a rather difficult path because there are many more moral obligations than rights."
As the time approached for the food to be transported to the home of the Mouride Caliph General, where it would be distributed, the excitement intensified.
A group began singing religious songs in unison, the volume increasing until it drowned out all surrounding noise. Some people, their faces covered in sweat, even seemed to be in a trance.
Sheikh Ibra Fall Baye Dieye, one of the Baye Fall followers present for the festivities, said that this kind of moment "replaces fasting".
"They are therefore very important," he added, dressed in a yellow and black patchwork tunic. "We are reconnecting with ourselves."
Becoming a Baye Fall involves adhering to certain rules, such as pledging allegiance to one's marabout and following his instructions. Individuals must agree to undergo spiritual training with the marabout.
In Touba, the Baye Fall play a central role during major religious events that often attract millions of people: they ensure security and cleanliness in the city, prepare meals and organize fundraising.
They are also known to be experienced farmers and to promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Despite all this, they are often misunderstood in Senegal and are subject to criticism because of their different approach.
Our practices are quite unique, which can create some confusion and misunderstandings," Khadim said, while assuring that these differences do not bother him.
