Ahmadu Bamba and Decolonization: The Power of Faith and Self-Reliance

Like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba MBacké was a leader of his time, championing non-violence and pioneering decolonization through the Murid project, which was a Sufi religious dimension and a deconstruction of colonial and local (psychic) alienation. Cheikh M. Ndiaye’s, Ahmadu Bamba and Decolonization: The Power of Faith and Self-Reliance, examines Bamba’s legacy as a man of unshakable faith, a humanist, a socio-cultural reformer, and a key agent in the decolonization of minds and spaces. Ndiaye shows how Bamba distinguished himself from the violence around him by choosing nonviolent forms of resistance, such as, founding and marking new villages with original signs, revaluing the local Wolof language, inspiring self-reliance and preaching about khidma (service). Providing historical background on Senegambia and the history of Islam in the area, this book examines Bamba’s actions and legacy through an interdisciplinary lens to show how the Sufi leader challenged established power structures, including local African aristocratic states, Islamist jihadism, and French colonialism.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Fallou Ngom Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: West Africa: Ancestral Spiritual Beliefs and Islam Chapter Two: West Africa: Resistance to Islam and European Colonialism Chapter Three: Ahmadu Bamba Emerges: A Homegrown Tariqa Chapter Four: Ahmadu Bamba: The Greatest Jihad Chapter Five: Ahmadu Bamba Deconstructs Godlike Authority Chapter Six: Ahmadu Bamba Rewrites the Colonial Landscape Chapter Seven: Ahmadu Bamba Filters Local Customs and Traditions Conclusion: Ahmadu Bamba Transcends Space and Time References About the Author

About the Author :
Cheikh M. Ndiaye is professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Union College.

Review :
Ahmadu Bamba and Decolonization: The Power of Faith and Self-Reliance by Cheikh M. Ndiaye highlights the unconquerable spirit of Ahmadu Bamba as a groundbreaking and liberating masterpiece that revives the extraordinary legacy of this anti-colonial icon. It also illuminates Bamba's fearless resistance against oppression and his unwavering commitment to justice, self-determination, and spiritual freedom. In this book, we are reminded of Bamba's remarkable story, alongside the power of faith, culture, and community in the face of imperialism, and we are inspired to continue the struggle for a world free from colonization and oppression. This book is a clarion call to reclaim our narratives, decolonize our minds, and embody the courage and resilience of Ahmadu Bamba in our own lives and struggles for justice. Cheikh M. Ndiaye's Ahmadu Bamba and Decolonization: The Power of Faith and Self-Reliance is a significant addition to the scholarship on one of Islam's most revered Sufi leaders, Cheikh Ahmadu Bamba. The book starts with a study of Arabo-Berber Islamization and subsequent Western colonization of pre-Islamic societies in sub-Saharan Africa. That preamble sets the scene for the emergence of the Cheikh and founder of Muridiyya. Ndiaye shows how Bamba's philosophical and theological contributions are deeply rooted in the Quran and constitute a non-violent humanistic counter-discourse to colonialism, cultural imperialism, and violent jihadism. His thorough analysis of Bamba's works invites us to critically engage paradigms that define and legitimize oppression, exploitation, and tyranny. Ndiaye's poetic analysis offers new insights into the Muslim cleric's singular project, particularly the new religious pathway to salvation offered by Muridism. The widening popularity of Bamba's leadership was feared by colonial administrators, resulting in his exile by French authorities. In his detailed analysis of the poetry written by Bamba during his years of exile, Ndiaye links Bamba's poetry to Negritude poetry and a significant number of other anti-colonial texts from the twentieth century. This original study clearly demonstrates Bamba's role as a precursor to the movements that liberated Africa from European colonial power.