Medina Baay Research Association

When I went to Senegal this summer, I had just (I thought) finished writing an article on women acting as Islamic leaders in Senegal, based on interviews with a handful of female muqaddams (representatives of the Sufi order). I thought I would seize the opportunity to do a couple final interviews, and I interviewed several daughters of Baay Ñas who act as muqaddams (including Roqiyatu Ñas, pictured right) as well as women who came from non-Taalibe Baay and non-clerical families. I soon realized that the phenomenon was far more widespread than I had imagined.

I recently returned from a very productive and interesting month of research in Senegal (from July 8 to August 4, 2009). In collaboration with several Association members, I conducted research in Medina Baay, Tayba Ñaseen, Mbittéyeen Waalo, Dakar, Mbuur, and Ngic Jolof. I had hoped to go to Mauritania but, apparently due to the political situation there, I was unable to get a visa, although I was able to meet with Al-Ḥājj wuld Mishri during his short visit to Dakar. I hope to post some of the results of my research soon. For the moment, many of the photos I took are available at my Flickr site.