Le grand magal de Touba: exil prophétique, migration et pèlerinage au sein du mouridisme

Abstract

Changes that are current in the area of religious studies—the break-up of a single movement into a multitude of geographically dispersed locations, of small size—lead us to study the Murid movement in many places at the same time. But the great place of pilgrimage of the Murid brotherhood is today considered to be the Grand Magal of Touba. Murid of Senegal scattered around the world long to visit Touba, Muridism's holy city, on the holy day which commemorates the exile imposed by the colonists on the founder of the brotherhood, and the beginning of trials visited upon them all by the Almighty. This great event in the holy city of Touba—which with its 300,000 inhabitants has become the second largest city in Senegal—will be our analytical touchstone for the changes which have occurred in modern Muridism.