Taïba Niassene, January 19 (APS) – Faithful and other disciples of Faydatou Tidjania from different regions of Senegal and the diaspora commemorated the anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Al Islam El Hadji Ibrahima Niass known as Baye, Saturday, in Taïba Niassene, religious city in the Kaolack region (center).
All day long, the faithful who came to celebrate this annual game took over the birthplace of Baye Niass, to gather, pray and meditate, in a great religious fervor, an atmosphere made of fervor and spirituality.
In this concession mixing tradition and modernity, the incessant comings and goings of the faithful, barefoot or with shoes in hand, were punctuated by zikr sessions.
The room of Mame Astou Diankha (around 1800-1937), mother of Cheikh Ibrahima Niass, in particular, is stormed by many faithful.
Phone in selfie mode, Maïmouna, in her thirties, fair complexion, couldn’t miss this event for anything in the world.
“I came out of gratitude to Baye Niass, because he did a lot for me. This is why, despite the economic difficulties, I managed, even if it meant going into debt, to come to this high place of meditation and prayer,” confides the young woman, dressed in white, before pointing out that the attendance is greater than in previous years.
“Everyone’s wishes will be granted”
Not far from her, another lady, sitting near Baye Niass’s room, inherited from her father El Hadji Abdoulaye Niass, shows the same fervor for Cheikh Al Islam El Hadji Ibrahima Niass.
“My love for Baye pushes me to come and celebrate the Gamou dedicated to him and make my ziara,” declares Mama Diassé, a sixty-year-old from Passy, in the department of Foundiougne (Fatick).
“I am very moved, especially since the number of faithful continues to increase from year to year,” she adds, her face marked by fatigue, which contrasts with her immaculate white boubou. .
Alpha, a young man from Kaffrine, attends the annual Gamou of Taïba Niassene for the first time. He does not regret it, saying he is confident that all his wishes, like “those of everyone else, will be granted from here on”.
-In the backyard of the house, Mame Astou Diankha’s room was set up to serve as a place of meditation. According to the faithful met, this is where Sheikh Ibrahima Niass was born, under a baobab tree which has not withstood the weight of the years.
Beyond the religious fervor of the moment, Ndiébel Ndiaye, son of a religious leader in Medina Baye, hopes that the teaching of Baye Niass, through his life and his work, will serve as a reference for young people to preserve them from the degradation of morals.
“It is crucial to draw inspiration from Baye Niass”
“Young people are a very important category in Senegal and in Fayda, and I hope that if we follow in the footsteps of Cheikh Ibrahima (Baye Niass), our country can be proud of its youth,” underlines this young man, in their twenties, before heading towards other activities included in the framework of this religious event.
The emotion is palpable in Adama Ndiaye, a man of average height, with a fair complexion and a carefully trimmed beard.
This native of Mboulème, in the Guinguinéo department, recalls that the meaning of the “ziara” that he performs is to reaffirm his anchoring in the Fayda, of which Baye Niass is the holder.
Like Ndiébel, Adama Ndiaye, a schoolteacher, maintains that at a time when sovereignism is making breakthroughs throughout Africa, it is “crucial” to draw inspiration from Baye Niass to develop solidarity and pan-Africanism.
In love with Taïba Niassene, this father, whose wife is from this religious city, claims to be in phase with the decision of the Caliph of Faydatou Tidjania, Cheikh Mouhamadou Mahi Ibrahima Niass, to postpone the Gamou until the weekend. end, in order to allow the faithful to come without constraint.
“As a teacher, this decision is to be welcomed, because it allows us to come without pressure to celebrate our guide,” declared Mr. Ndiaye, very enthusiastic.
ADE/BK/SBS
