Yelimane Fall: Senegalese Calligraphy in Action

Yelimane Fall Senegalese Calligraphy in Action Cynthia Becker and Alex Zito Y elimane Fall, an artist, healer, and community activist, creates spiritually charged art illed with intense symbolic meaning. He signs his art with the initials “MF,” meaning “Messenger of the Faith,” referring to the fact that his images are meant to convey Muridiyya spiritual beliefs. he Murids are a Senegalese Sui movement based on the teachings of a local wali or saint named Shaykh Amadu Bamba (ca. 1853–1927). Over the course of three decades, Fall, who once worked as an industrial illustrator, let his profession to devote himself to art. He earnestly developed a unique calligraphic style that drew upon his graphic art skills, illing his compositions with large, curvalineal Arabic letters that he infuses with a Senegalese sensibility. His robust forms and vibrant colors cause the letters to explode of the paper as if they are endowed with life (Fig. 1) (Roberts and Roberts 2003:164–73). Fall spreads the Murid message using the Arabic language, the same that Bamba employed in his writings, but in order to reach an even broader population, Fall recently began to use a modiied Arabic alphabet to write in Wolof, a style of written script known as Ajami.1 Although a viewer may not be luent in Arabic or Wolof, the literal interpretation of the script represents only one layer of meaning. Fall, who invests each work with an immense amount of research and contemplation, wants viewers to take their time, studying and researching the work so that the layers of meaning are slowly revealed. According to the artist, regardless of a viewer’s religious upbringing, whether Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, the essence of his art is not absolute. Like Bamba’s writings, the works in Fall’s oeuvre hold countless messages for each viewer. he exhibition and catalogue A Saint in the City: Sui Arts in Urban Senegal featured Yelimane Fall’s work, considering his relationship to Murid spiritual beliefs and his role as a commu- 28 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2 nity activist (Robert and Roberts 2003). his essay builds upon this previous scholarship but concentrates on work done by Fall between 2005 and 2011. It chronicles how Fall continues to carry forth his social agenda through the promotion of active learning, creating a revolution in African calligraphy. It draws from an exhibition sponsored by the Boston University School of Visual Arts and the West African Research Association at Boston University’s Sherman Gallery from November 10 to December 16, 2011. Fall spent one month at Boston University as a visiting scholar and artist and during this time, the authors talked with Fall extensively about his work in both French (Becker) and Wolof (Zito). During our numerous discussions, Yelimane Fall served as our mentor and tutor. He slowly and deliberately helped us peel of the complex layered meanings behind his work. Fall told us that even if one knows nothing about Senegal, the Murids, or Islam, at some level everyone gains something from his art: Perhaps it’s the appeal of colors and designs that make you go deeper. Any single one of these works would take a book to explain it, but no one reads books anymore. Books would just sit in the shelves of the library without being of use to people and would not fulill their mission to spread the message of the faith. I do art because it is a more efective way to spread the message.2 As a Senegalese Murid, Yelimane Fall lives in a geographic and theological space considered peripheral to both Islamic and Western discourses. He experiments with artistic media not typically associated with the calligraphic arts and uses Arabic and Wolof Ajami to carry the Murid message. As noted by the scholar Fallou Ngom, Bamba experienced discrimination from his Arab colleagues, who felt superior to black, Senegalese Muslims. he Murid message has not been accepted or even heard by the larger unleashes the positive energy contained in the soul so that each individual achieves “heaven in the two worlds.”3 Shaykh Amadu Bamba’s commitment to work can be seen through his intense devotion to writing. Popular lore quantiies the amount of writings he produced not in numbers but in tons (Roberts and Roberts 2003:165). Inspired by Bamba’s proliic output, Fall has produced a massive amount of art. Fall explained to us: I am not the type of artist who sits and relects, or investigates and goes looking for inspiration. Inspiration comes looking for me. I just open myself, and Serigne Touba pours in.4 I will use anything on hand, even newspaper, because if I don’t put it down in that moment, I will regret it. Wherever and however it inds me. It’s diicult work. Sometimes I become exhausted, because a person is just a person. 1 Yelimane Fall Bismillah (2010) Acrylic on canvas; 20 cm x 30 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker Muslim world of the Middle East and North Africa. Regardless, Bamba sought to make his message available to people from all walks of life and all backgrounds (Ngom 2009:104–107). In the spirit of Bamba, Yelimane Fall does not choose to work for an exclusively local, Senegalese audience of fellow Murids. Rather, he conveys a globalized message of peace and inclusion. SUFISM AND THE MURIDIYYA BROTHERHOOD Yelimane Fall’s personal motto is “faith, uprightness, and knowledge for an interior and universal peace.” He draws inspiration from the philosophy of Shaykh Amadu Bamba, who was a devout scholar, masterful poet, paciist, and founder of the Muridiyya Brotherhood at the end of the nineteenth century. Murids adhere to the belief that one has to work as if they would never die so that they can be independent and useful in their local communities. hrough these actions, one can achieve paradise and happiness in this world and the next (see Babou 2007; Roberts and Roberts 2003; Robinson 2000). In other words, benevolent actions and solidarity in this earthbound existence Fall reproduced the only known photo of Shaykh Amadu Bamba, which was taken in 1913, in his painting Qasida I (2008; Fig. 2). he French, who viewed Bamba as a political agitator, took the photo when he was under house arrest. Murids believe that this photograph is charged with deep spiritual signiicance, and Fall reproduces Bamba’s image oten (see Roberts and Roberts 2003:43–67). Fall explained: “People don’t know that the value of his [Bamba’s] image exceeds even that of his writings. Simply looking at that image brings inspiration. We ind ourselves asking, ‘who is that person behind the turban?’ We don’t know. Only tomorrow [in the next life] will we truly know.” As noted by Allen and Mary Nooter Roberts, Murid artists, such as Fall, use the image of Bamba as visual hagiography. In other words, such images contribute to an ongoing understanding of the lives of saints that people also apply to their own lives so that their lives become extensions of the saint’s life (2000:86, 2003:36–38). In their discussion of visual hagiography in the murals painted by the Dakar-based street artist Pape Diop, Roberts and Roberts explain that, “viewers are given the opportunity and the responsibility to ind in the image [of Amadu Bamba] what they can, as an aspect of the Sui quest for ever-deeper understanding of divinity and the meanings of life” (2007:57). In Figure 2, Fall presents a copy of Bamba’s portrait under an open book. The Arabic letters that swirl around Bamba’s image read: “My writings are infused with miracles and will forever bring blessings to those who consider them sincerely.” Fall explained to us the universality of this message: “In Bamba’s poems he said, ‘In peace, I issue a call to all the nations, without discrimination.’ An ocean of generosity—that ocean—we are all in need of it!” In Dakar, the capital of Senegal, painted images of Amadu Bamba copied from the historical photograph seen in Figure 2 grace the exterior walls of homes and businesses, endowing public space with blessings. Yelimane Fall’s bold and colorful style shares a visual aesthetic with such street murals (see Roberts and Roberts 2003:123–50; Ngom 2012:114–20). In Figure 2, his use of red and black letters against a bright yellow background make the letters stand out so that the viewer recognizes them as carrying potent power and vibrancy. According to Fall, even if you cannot read the literal message behind the calligraphy of this work and others, simply looking at the overall design of the letters, touching them or copying them will bring you grace. VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 29 2 Yelimane Fall Qasida I, “Praise Poem 1” (2008) Acrylic on paper, 80 x 60 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Jon-William Brown 3 Yelimane Fall Qasida II, “Praise Poem II” (2008) Acrylic on paper, 80 x 60 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker Fall references the act of copying and writing in Figure 3. Fall painted an inkwell and pen in order to refer to the immense amount of writing done by Amadu Bamba. Fall told us that, “Bamba touched all the subjects. He spent all his life writing on God, the Prophet, science, nature, pollution; he wrote about everything. To understand Bamba’s writings one must be a Sui. We can go to the Arabic dictionary and look up words, but we won’t ind their true meaning.” Yelimane Fall painted the letters in Figure 3 a purple hue and outlined them with red, yellow, and green, indicating that each ode written by Bamba has an inner meaning, and that this inner meaning conceals a yet deeper inner meaning, and so on. he blue background suggests the sky—a metaphor for the vast, eternal nature of Bamba’s message. When we asked Fall what he felt about non-Muslims unfamiliar with the Muridiyya Sufi order purchasing his works, Fall explained that there are various stages a viewer undergoes regardless of his or her religious background. First the viewer experiences a positive sensation or sentiment—perhaps he or she is simply attracted to the colors used by the artist. hen this sensation induces deep relection. hrough relection and meditation, a more profound state of understanding can be reached. Yelimane Fall said that each time he paints, Bamba guides his hand, revealing new truths so that the painting process becomes an act of meditation and self-discovery. Fall explained to us that faith couldn’t be studied, memorized, or inherited from family members. He stated that “faith is something internal, it is a secret. Something that when God created you, God lit inside you. It’s a lame, and your mission on this earth is to preserve it. Don’t let that lame go out.” In Fall’s 2010 painting entitled Faith, he referenced the lame 30 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2 of faith and wrote the name “Allah” using Arabic characters in bright red, resembling a bright burning lame (Fig. 4). According to Fall, each color has a personality and meaning. Red refers to faith and, since Fall identiies himself as the “Messenger of the Faith,” he identiies red as his personal color. Blue evokes the ininite expanse of the ocean and the sky, which, according to Fall, is the closest we get on this earth to eternity, so it helps us understand God. Green evokes nature and Islam at the same time, as Muslims view their religion as existing in accordance with the laws of nature. Yellow implies perfection, referring to the color of gold and the process of spiritual reinement. Black represents that which is unseen, implying mystical meanings and knowledge, while white evokes purity. In Figure 4, Fall wrote the word “Allah” using bold, vertical strokes of red paint so that it resembled the lame of a candle. It loats against a backdrop of the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic script. Each is enclosed a small square, creating a pattern of repeating geometric designs that resembles a khatem, or “mystical seal,” oten used in Islamic healing (see Roberts and Roberts 2003:174–77). Fall also included mystically powerful numbers, referencing numerology, a branch of Islamic mysticism. According to numerology, each letter in the Arabic alphabet is associated with a number; each has a secret side and mystical meaning that protects and heals. However, this explanation only hints at the complex layers and meanings hidden in this work. For example, Fall’s use of the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet alludes to the primordial elements of all creation. More speciically, Fall referenced the “Preserved Tablet,” known also as the “Mother of the Scripture,” believed to be the heavenly prototype of the Qur’an and repository of human destinies from the start of creation till the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe that God wrote the Preserved Tablet in the celestial domain above the seventh layer of heaven and it served as the primordial board upon which creation was based. In order to further emphasize the act of creation, Fall illed the boxes between each Arabic letter with fabric. He placed prints of cotton plants in the upper squares of the painting, and, at the bottom, he attached small swatches of cotton Dutch wax fabric. Hence, he elevated the raw material given by God closer ton cloth. His parents sent him to a French primary school, and ater that he went to a technical secondary school (Lycée Technique André Peytavin) where he studied mechanical drawing and woodworking. Fall’s diverse career path led him to work as an industrial illustrator and a technical director of a wood construction corporation. Fall did not devote himself to art full time until he had a spiritual encounter with Shaykh Amadu Bamba himself. Fall recounted to us that he irst saw Bamba in a dream that took place on Dakar’s waterfront. In Fall’s dream, while standing with a crowd of people, he spotted Bamba of in the distance standing on an island: I asked him [Bamba] how we could possibly cross the sea to come to the island to be with him. Bamba told me to look in front of me and I saw a stick of bamboo. I did like I was ishing and cast them [the crowd of people] to the island. hen I walked on the water to get to the island. When I was with the Shaykh, I saw another island covered with trees. He told me to swim to the island with the group and when we arrived we saw that the sand was made of gold. A group of pious followers came to welcome us. It was at this point that my communication started. I understood the signiication of the bamboo rod—it represented the qalam [reed pen]. When I woke up in the morning, I knew that it was not a dream. I did my ablutions and went into seclusion. For the whole week, I was in trance. I lived outside my body. People who knew me could see that that I was troubled. 4 Yelimane Fall Faith (2010) Mixed media on paper; 56 cm x 77 cm Collection of John Hutchison Photo: Jon-William Brown to the heavens and the resulting manufactured product closer to the earth. In a square just above the top of the Arabic letter alif, meaning “A” and beginning the word Allah, Fall painted a qalam—a common metaphor in Islamic art for the acquisition of knowledge. he Qur’an includes a reference to the pen in a chapter (sura) where God is said to have used the pen to instruct humankind in what it does not know, inspiring calligraphers, such as Fall, to inscribe sacred words.5 At the bottom, below the inal character of the word Allah, Fall included a key, indicating that one’s faith is the key that can either open or close the doors of blessing. 5 Yelimane Fall Peace (2008) Acrylic on paper, 80 x 60 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Jon-William Brown In this work, Fall painted a couplet from a special prayer of invocation written by Bamba, the Sindidi. Fall painted the verse in white letters, symbolizing purity, in a pulsating circle around the final invocation, “Oh Allah,” which dominates the piece with its expanding shape and warm color, symbolizing faith. INSPIRATION AND INHERITANCE: FALL’S ARTISTIC JOURNEY In many of Fall’s paintings, he illustrates a specific qasida (pl. qasa’id), meaning “ode” or “praise poem,” which contains the teachings of Shaykh Amadu Bamba (Fig. 5). Fall writes the name of each qasida in the lower right hand corner of the work. Shaykh Amadu Bamba wrote the ode seen in Figure 5 in honor of his mother. his text, like all of Bamba’s writings, was done in Arabic, which was not Bamba’s native language. he Arabic calligraphy can be translated to read: “And let fall upon us, Lord, abundant peace/and let righteousness blow upon us in the two abodes (this world and the next), oh Allah.” According to Fall’s interpretation of this praise poem, if God grants us these things, we will experience heavenly joy on earth. Just as Bamba received inspiration from his mother, Yelimane Fall also credited his own mother with his artistic talent. When he was growing up, he watched his mother paint designs on cot- VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 31 A week later, Fall had another vision in which he visited the waterfront near the Senegalese president’s palace. In the distance, he saw four columns of Baye Fall, marching as if they were soldiers.6 A limousine with tinted windows pulled up beside him. he window opened, and, instead of the president, Yelimane Fall was face to face with Shaykh Ibra Fall himself, leader of the Baye Fall, who looked Yelimane Fall right in the eye. At that point, Fall’s mission was clear and he devoted himself to spreading Bamba’s message. Fall let a successful career in a country known to have a high rate of unemployment, shocking everyone who knew him. He let behind his French school training and entered the Murid educational system, which focuses on “spiritual discipline,” tarbiya, rather than memorization of the Qur’an. he tarbiya curriculum among the Murids consists of three basic schools, the dhikr (recitation), ikhr (meditation), khidma (service or work). Fall explained to us: When I had the inspiration to go to the tarbiya school, a lot of people thought I had lost my mind. Others said I must have had spells cast against me. hey saw me and thought everything was wonderful. I was young. hey thought I was satisied. But I had a spiritual void. Nothing made me happy anymore, because God wasn’t there. In the irst school, the school of dhikr, he learned to employ prayer formulas based on the ninety-nine names of God. Ater his religious teacher thought he inished this level of spiritual education and released him from the dhikr school, he began to receive his irst artistic inspirations. Fall explained to us: hat was the period in which the irst works of art began to come down. At that time, I didn’t have anywhere to put them. he tools I knew were tracing paper and Indian ink, the media I had used in my trade. At that time I was drawing, but I hadn’t thought about using colors. I was only sketching in black and white. Until one day I took a felt marker, lipped over the tracing paper and tried it on the other side, and saw that it was beautiful. Ater that is when I started to use paints, which were even more beautiful [Fig. 6]. 6 Yelimane Fall painting a mural at the Sherman Art Gallery, 2011. Photo: Cynthia Becker 7 Yelimane Fall Divine Pen (2010) Acrylic on canvas; 40 cm x 30 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker 32 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2 8 Yelimane Fall The Key (2008) Acrylic on paper, 60 x 80 cm Collection of Cynthia Becker Photo: Jon-William Brown 9 Yelimane Fall The Supreme Reward (2008) Acrylic on paper, 60 x 80 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker 10 Yelimane Fall The Book (2008) Acrylic on paper, 60 x 80 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Jon-William Brown While studying mediation, true to the Murid tradition, Fall went into seclusion in the wilderness in order to gain mastery over himself. During meditation, Fall saw and heard things that he never thought existed on earth. In an elevated state that allowed him to gain oneness with nature, he achieved deep mystical knowledge. Meditation taught Fall a profound respect for all creation: “In your environment there are things you see and things you don’t see. You should treat these things as yourself, respect them and love them as you love yourself. Just take them as something created by God, and give them great respect.” Finally, ater the schools of dhikr and meditation, Fall entered the school of khidma or “service.” Sweat and hard work was the objective, integrating the learning of the previous two schools: Sweat is much harder to obtain than blood and requires a challenge. Wherever you see sweat, you know there was efort. he khidma inte- VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 33 11 Yelimane Fall Commuity (2010) Acrylic on paper; 40 cm x 30 cm Collection of the artist The Ajami text reads, “If you desire blessings, you must give back to your community.” Photo: Cynthia Becker grates the work of the other two. Your last master will take you to the destination, to the source. he irst two gave you a taste of it, but you want to drink your ill, that’s your motivation. For you to drink your ill, they will grab your arm and take you to the well, where you drink. hat’s the third stage. Fall’s progression through the three schools or stages of learning relects the Sui concept of tariqa, meaning “path.” Suis use the term tariqa to denote the idea of spiritual progress—a “way” or a “path” that guides humans from the manifest Law to the divine Reality and to God. For those travelling towards God, the path of tariqa traverses the various spiritual stations and is punctuated by trance experiences, called hal, entailing intimate encounters with the divine.7 he visions that Fall cites as the roots of his artistic inspiration are examples of the sorts of signs read by Suis as moments that mark stations on the path to the ultimate unity with God. Fall also expects his viewers to proceed through the Sui path and work hard to saturate themselves gradually with its meaning. Fall’s art encourages the viewer to revisit his work to regain subtle overlays of understanding on a never-ending journey. 34 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2 12 Yelimane Fall Gratitude (2010) Acrylic on paper; 40 cm x 30 cm Collection of the artist The Ajami text reads, “Allah increases the blessings of those who offer thanks.” Photo: Jon-William Brown 13 Yelimane Fall Thank you Serigne Touba (2011) Acrylic on paper; 40 cm x 53 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Jon-William Brown A SENEGALESE VISUAL SENSIBILITY Yelimane Fall recognizes that the bright colors and full, bold style of his Arabic letters gives his calligraphy a West African flair. According to him, each letter has a numerological signiicance and mystical value that forms the nature of the letter itself. Although Arabic calligraphy is at the center of Yelimane Fall’s art, he is not luent in Arabic. Fall attributes his abilities to divine inspiration and hard work. He told us that he “dresses” each letter to demonstrate his respect for them as God’s creation. Although he oten features the qalam, a pen made of dried reed or bamboo, and the ink well in his art, he does not use them 14 Installation at the Boston University Sherman Gallery Photo: Cynthia Becker In 2005, Fall made this collection of works to resemble Qur’anic writing boards. He painted individual Arabic letters to represent the basic elements of the earth: land (black), air (natural brown), fire (red), and water (green). Fall encouraged viewers (assuming they were able to transliterate the Arabic script) to combine the letters in different ways to create an endless variety of words in any language, including English, French and Wolof. Fall named each board after the largest Arabic letter in its center, also using the word “symphony” in the title to suggest the harmonic act of combining letters. The titles are (starting from the right and going counterclockwise): Symphony of sīn Symphony of shīn Symphony of hā’ Symphony of thā’ Symphony of ṣād Symphony of ‘ayn Symphony of zayn Symphony of ẓā’ himself (Fig. 7). Fall found that he had more control over the design of his letters when he sketched with a pencil. He draws each letter using curvilinear shapes and later ills them in with bright acrylic paint, typically using primary colors. Fall recognizes that his calligraphic style is unique from that practiced in North Africa and the Middle East, stating that the Senegalese have their own calligraphic style and their own techniques: Arabic letters did not come from us. hey came to us from Arabs. But when it arrived to us, we modiied the letters to make them our own. For example the ng sound in Wolof does not exist in Arabic. So there is tonality in our language that does not exist in Arabic. We needed to modify the language. Fall’s art also draws from Senegalese music and dance. In most of the Muslim world, public performances of dhikr, “repetitive chanting in Arabic,” is done by Suis to achieve a heightened state. Amadu Bamba encouraged recitation of the shahâda, proclamation of faith, as a dhikr. While Murid chanting is related to Arabic dhikr, it also borrows from local Senegalese forms of poetry. Murids perform call and response songs in Wolof accompanied by polyrhythmic drumming and dancing, which oten induces the trance state or hal. his stands in contrast to the rest of the Muslim West Africa, where Islamic reform movements oten condemned local practices that induced trance. For example, in Hausa areas, trance performed by bori practitioners was seen as too closely related to pre-Islamic spirit possession despite the incorporation of Muslim spirits into the bori pantheon and other forms of accommodation (Masquelier 2001:9). In contrast, Bamba’s teachings encouraged the lourishing of such local cultural forms. Yelimane Fall told us that it was normal for Murids to be taken by the spirit of God and lose their sense of self, achieving a pure state of understanding. Just as some Murids engage in the ecstasies of trance, certain Murid artists convey entrancing experiences and/or use repetition in their work to create a form of visual dhikr (Roberts and Roberts 2007:60, 63). In a 2007 article on the Murid street muralist Pape Diop, for example, Roberts and Roberts (assisted in their interpretation by Yelimane Fall) describe Diop’s intermingling and superimposed images of Amadu Bamba as allowing him to express an inner mysticism and dhikr contained within himself (Roberts and Roberts 2007:58–63). Yelimane Fall does the same in his piece entitled he Key (Fig. 8). In fact, Fall characterized this piece as the most important work in the whole Boston University exhibition. In addition to its intensely spiritual message, it contains a variety of colors. Fall outlined each letter in red—the color of faith. he poem featured in Figure 8 can be translated as: Lahu al-dahru niyātī To God I dedicate, for all eternity, my intentions Wa ʿilmī And my knowledge Wa khidmatī And my works Wa rūḥī And my soul Wa jithmānī And my person Wa kullī bi-lā thakla And my all, unceasingly he key at the top of this painting has a double function: keys can both open and close doors. In other words, Bamba can reveal a message to you, but, if you are not on good terms with the key holder, do not expect to see what is behind the door. Bamba, whose image is painted to the let of the key, clearly holds the key. VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 35 15 Yelimane Fall Symphony of sīn (2005) Acrylic on paper; 40 cm x 82 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker 16 Yelimane Fall Symphony of șād (2005) Acrylic on paper; 40 cm x 82 cm Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker Even if one is not luent in Arabic, the repeating forms on the right of the painting suggest a sense of repetition. As Arabic is written from right to let, he begins four of the phrases with the Arabic letter waw. Fall explained, “And you see the ive waw-s. Waw is a letter of the Arabic alphabet that means ‘and,’ but in Wolof the word waw means ‘yes, I have accepted’.” hrough this painting, Fall expressed his acceptance of Bamba’s challenge that his followers give all aspects of themselves to God. Yelimane Fall line ends each line with the Arabic possessive pronoun ya, meaning “my.” Fall continued the letter ya at the end of each word (on the let) so that it curved around under itself and pointed back at the letter waw (on the right). his structure gives a chain of continuity between the diferent phrases, complementing the end rhyme with an alliterative beginning when it is recited in Arabic. In other words, Yelimane Fall created his own form of visual dhikr. Fall explained the sense of visual repetition and inner relection that drives his work: in the form of the word, there is a departure here, but also a return: a coming-back—to me, my knowledge. I have given it to God, forever. he calligraphy is directing you. My intentions, my knowledge, my soul. It’s very important that even the shape of the letters themselves convey a turning back to focus on oneself. As previously discussed, in most of his works Fall painted the name of the qasida, which in Figure 9 is the Jaawartu, on the bottom right of each work. Jaawartu is one of Shaykh Amadu Bamba’s most celebrated odes, referred to as the “Passport to Paradise.” he couplet in Figure 9 can be translated as “Truly, what I have grasped from the Divine has been concealed from 36 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2 creation, and in it I have attained paradise.” Its one of a few lines that is commonly invoked by Murids not only as proof but also as a celebration of Bamba’s close personal relationship with God (Roberts and Roberts 2003:51, 174). Yelimane Fall encouraged visitors to the gallery to gaze at this work and absorb its blessings. He used tiles or squares in the background to increase its meditative qualities and also metaphorically refer to the individual elements that compose the universe. Fall explained, “Just as every day of the week is an individual day with individual choices and opportunities, each diamond is a window to the world. And God has made a door for each person to enter.” In addition to creating doors of opportunity, Fall sometimes painted literal walls. In Figure 10, he depicted the Ka’aba in Mecca and, rather than paint a square structure covered with a black cloth, as it usually appears in photographs, in true Murid fashion Fall revealed what is beneath the cloth. Fall painted the basic building blocks used in the Ka’aba’s construction. He explained that one hue of yellow referred to natural light and the other the interior of the heart. In the center he placed a Qur’an with a portrait of Bamba, surrounding it with a couplet testifying to the Shaykh’s intimacy with the Divine: “he Book of God belongs to me, and I to it, and to Allah, by Whom I reside.” ALTERNATIVE MODERNITIES: AJAMI AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE In recent years, Yelimane Fall has started to use a modiied Arabic script to write Wolof expressions of popular wisdom (Ajami) (Figs. 11–12; Ngom and Zito 2012). Fall’s inclusion of Ajami coincides with the Murid desire to carve out a space for themselves in the world by making their message more acces- 17 Yelimane Fall Fall and Fall Again (2008) Installation view, Boston University Sherman Gallery Collection of the artist Photo: Cynthia Becker sible to a general public. During his lifetime, Shakykh Amadu Bamba did not expect that his spiritual achievements would be acknowledged by the outside world, as Senegal was not recognized as a place of Islamic scholarship and literacy. More than century later, Murids continue to struggle for legitimacy both within the Senegalese state and internationally. For example, the Murids have been largely overlooked by international development organizations seeking to alleviate Senegal’s illiteracy and extreme poverty. Rather the Murids tend to support local Murid-owned businesses and, through their industriousness and discipline, they strive to attain their own sense of economic success in today’s globalized world (Judah 2006). he message conveyed by Yelimane Fall in Figure 11 encourages the Senegalese people to give back to their local communities in order to gain blessings and fulillment. In order to live successfully in a place where deep material poverty is an everyday reality, Murids link economic success to spiritual attainment. Ousaynou Toure, a Senegalese merchant interviewed by Alex Zito in 2009, explained this alternative system of accomplishment and self-reliance: therefore, promote an alternative system of survival outside of the modernization and globalization deined by the Senegalese state and the West. he Murids preference for local knowledge can be seen in their recognition of the Senegalese city of Touba as a holy site. Founded by Bamba in 1887, the city’s great mosque, which houses Bamba’s tomb, serves as a major pilgrimage destination for hundreds of thousands of Murids today. Murids refer to Shaykh Amadu Bamba as Serigne Touba, meaning “Leader of Touba” in Wolof. Fall included the honorific “Serigne Touba” in the artwork seen in Figure 13. Adding mystical meaning to this painting is that fact that if the numerical values of the letters in the word “Touba” are added together, they come to the number twenty-eight, which is the number of letters in the Arabic alphabet. Fall used a modiied Arabic script to write the wellknown Wolof phrase, Jërëjëf Sëriñ Tuubaa, meaning “hank you, Serigne Touba.” According to Murids, the numeric values of the letters that compose the words “Serigne Touba” and the Islamic profession of faith (the shahada) are the same. Fall pasted a cutout of Bamba’s face at the top of the composition that a visitor to the Sherman Gallery pulled it of. We thought that perhaps a visitor, who was ofended by the label’s suggestion that there was a mystical connection between “Serigne Touba” and the Islamic profession of faith, might have been responsible for the damage, interpreting such a statement as blasphemous. Fall responded in a characteristically positive way saying, “someone who was moved by the work obviously wanted You in the West have been blessed with the tangible material dimension but we have been blessed in the batin—the inner, hidden dimension. And if you are not looking for the inner dimension we will appear poor because you won’t see what we have.8 Toure, like many Murids, emphasized the batin, “hidden,” dimension that allows the Murids to experience a contented state of wellbeing and prosperity. Murids, 18 Yelimane Fall Untitled Mural (2011) Installation view, Boston University Sherman Gallery Photo: Cynthia Becker VOL. 47, NO. 2 SUMMER 2014 african arts | 37 19 Yelimane Fall and Jennifer Yanco, director of the West African Research Association Boston University Sherman Gallery (2011) Photo: Cynthia Becker 20 Boston University Sherman Gallery event to commemorate the International (16) Days of Activism against Violence against Women (2011) Photo: Cynthia Becker to take home the image of Bamba. I wish this person would have asked me and I would have given him or her the work.” Fall later recreated the portrait bust of Bamba—this time painting it onto the surface of the work so it could not be removed again. EDUCATION IS A VOYAGE he exhibition also included a collection of works that resembled traditional writing boards used by young children in Senegal and other parts of the Muslim world to learn the Qur’an (Fig. 14). he writing board, called louha in Arabic, serves as the ultimate symbol of education—one of Bamba’s central messages. Fall expressed dissatisfaction with the education approach followed by most Qur’anic schools, which emphasize memorization over interpretation. Fall desires for children to go beyond the surface knowledge of each letter. For example, the “Alif,” which represents the letter “A,” is the irst letter of the Arabic alphabet and, at the same time, representing the number one and the oneness of God. Fall cut individual Arabic letters into each piece of wood, naming each louha ater the largest Arabic letter in its center (Figs. 14–16). Furthermore, Fall believed that each letter was endowed with a healing and protective energy. “Hot” letters, symbolized by the color red, heal human illnesses associated with symptoms involving “coldness,” such as rheumatism, and “cold” letters, represented by the color green, heal such “hot” illnesses as fever. In addition, each color represents a complementary element of the earth, so that four natural elements, including the earth (black), the air (natural brown of the wood), ire (red), and water (green), are all represented by seven diferent letters, adding up to the number twenty-eight. he juxtaposition of letters of varying colors represented interconnectedness and cooperation between humans and God, humans and the environment and humans to each other. he spiritual meaning behind each writing board was so complicated that Fall admitted that an explanation would require 38 | african arts SUMMER 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 2 several days. When we pressed him for further interpretation, he insisted that they contain profound meanings that could only be revealed through deep meditation and study. He pushed us to playfully combine letters on an individual board to create words in various languages—Arabic, Wolof, and even English— in order to stress the inclusivity of his work. When Fall’s exhibition was mounted at the Boston University Sherman Gallery, Fall insisted that relective paper be attached the to rear of each board, encouraging viewers to look deeper into the works and interpret them in their own way. HIDDEN MEANINGS Clearly, Yelimane Fall’s works contain deep symbolic depth and inner meanings (batin). Fall explained the mystery of everyday life, stating that everyone has “two angels following you all the time, one on your right and the other on your let . here are all sorts of things in creation that escape your vision.” Fall brings our attention to the unseen world in his three paintings from 2008, titled Fall and Fall Again (Fig. 17). As a set, they contain what Fall deined as three levels of meaning: the supericial outer meanings of Qur’anic messages, the inner essence, and the essence of the essence. His irst painting, on the let, features the phrase, “Allah protect me from people,” written in Arabic. Fall started with this phrase to show his anger at people’s hypocritical prayers. In Fall’s view, people say prayers for God to protect them from their enemies, but at the same time they engage in self-destructive acts that harm the earth, such as cutting down trees, burning forests, and polluting rivers and oceans. Fall, who advocates self-reliance and responsible behavior, believes that people unnecessarily blame others for their troubles. In order to illustrate the outer, sometimes supericial, meaning of prayers, he cut out the paper surrounding the letters in order to symbolically peel of the layers of meaning and reveal the inner essence of these words. his outer shape served as the basis of the second painting (in the middle of Fig. 17), which contained the inner essence of the irst one and served as an inward exploration of this phrase of protection. While those familiar with Arabic can still understand the second work, the Arabic letters are not recognizable in the third work at all. He repeated the process of peeling of layers to depict what he called “the essence of the essence.” Although the third work’s visual relationship with the original has been lost, the Arabic numerals representing each letter remain. herefore the inal product contained the archetypical Sui message that there are always secrets and inner meanings (batin) to be learned as one crosses the veils of ignorance to approach divinity. CALLIGRAPHY IN ACTION During his time at Boston University, Yelimane Fall created a large four-part mural in the Sherman Gallery in collaboration with students. He spent numerous hours in the gallery each day, and members of the public came to visit him and discuss his work throughout the process (Fig. 18). In doing so, Fall followed the Muridiyya idea that everyone, regardless of their race, social, or ethnic background, must be given a chance to reach the peak of happiness (Ngom 2009:107). For Fall, this can be achieved through an understanding of Muridiyya spiritual beliefs. During his time at Boston University, Yelimane Fall also donated a work of art to the event “Say No to Sexual Violence through Art,” held to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. he 16 Days Campaign is an international efort coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991, and, since then, it has been held annually from November 25–December 10.9 he event at Boston University, co-sponsored by the nonproit group Promote Congo, featured an evening of art-based performances that denounced gender-based violence in the Congo and recognized the accomplishments of women in Africa (Figs. 19–20). Notes hanks to Allen Roberts, Jennifer Yanco, and Fallou Ngom for reading drats of this article and providing useful comments. hanks also to Lynne Cooney, Exhibitions Director at Boston University, and the West African Research Association, who facilitated the Yelimane Fall exhibition. Of course, a huge amount of gratitude goes out to Yelimane Fall, who tolerated our numerous questions and patiently shared his wisdom with us. 1 Ajami, an Arabic term meaning “foreign,” was originally used to refer to Persians, but also can refer to non-Arabic languages written in a modiied Arabic script. In Africa the history of Ajami literatures reaches back at least to the sixteenth century and stretches from Wolof traditions at the Atlantic coast to Swahili in the East. See Ngom and Zito 2012. 2 All quotes from Fall derive from conversations held between the artist and the authors between November 10 and December 16, 2011. he authors translated them from French (Becker) and Wolof (Zito). 3 his is a common phrase translated from Arabic and used by Murids. he literal translation is “grace in the two houses,” referring to two realms of being and suggesting the temporary physical world and the eternal world. 4 Serigne Touba, Wolof for the “Leader of Touba,” is the most common honoriic for Shaykh Amadou Bamba—Touba being the holy city he founded. In addition to his gallery and museum exhibitions, Fall oten uses his paintings to illustrate inspirational lectures and teach those at risk of self-destructive behavior. Fall strives to improve the human condition, especially that of children, who he believes are “gits from God.” Since 2004, he has been involved with the NGO project “Village Pilote” that helps “street children” exposed to drugs and abuse. Fall now hopes to open a calligraphy institute, which he calls the West African Institute of Calligraphy. The institute, officially recognized by the Republic of Senegal, will be based in his region of origin, Gandiole, located in northwest Senegal. In this rural area, described by Fall as a place of clean air, clean water, and healthy land, he hopes to bring aspiring artists who want to learn and create in what will be the irst institute devoted to teaching Arabic calligraphy done in a sub-Saharan African style. While Fall struggles to inance the institute, he is hopeful that the baraka of Shaykh Amadu along with the help of volunteers will bring it into fruition. Yelimane Fall’s message carried through his calligraphic art is not just for the Senegalese. As Fall told us, “No one is let out, everyone is included, the whole world belongs.” To date, Fall has shown his work throughout Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, and the United States. According to Fall, the Murids have a lot to teach to the rest of the world. he Murid message encourages Senegalese youth to ind happiness despite economic hardship and teaches them how to practice religion in a positive, tolerant, and non-judgmental way. Cynthia Becker is Associate Professor in the History of Art & Architecture Department at Boston University. She specializes in the history of visual culture from northwestern Africa. cjbecker@bu.edu Alex Zito received a PhD in African and Islamic Studies from Boston University in 2012 with a dissertation on Murid Ajami literature. He currently works as an Africa Analyst in the Washington, DC area. alex_zito@ yahoo.com 5 Qur’an, sura 96, verses 1–5. 6 he Baye Fall are a subgroup within the Mourides who follow the teachings of Amadu Bamba’s irst follower, Sheikh Ibra Fall. For more information see Roberts and Roberts 2003:109–22. 7 Encyclopedia of Islam, second edition, s.v. “Hal.” 8 Interview, Alex Zito with Ousaynou Toure, Dakar, Senegal, 2009. Translated from Wolof to English by Zito. 9 For more information, see http://saynotoviolence.org/join-say-no/2012-16-days-activism-againstgender-violence-campaign __________. 2012. “Popular Culture in Senegal: Blending the Secular and the Religious.” In Music Performance and African Identities, ed. Toyin Falola and Tyler Fleming, pp. 97–124. New York: Routledge. Ngom, Fallou, and Alex Zito. 2012. “Sub-Saharan African Literature, `Ajamī.” Encyclopaedia of Islam, 3rd ed. Leiden: Brill. Roberts, Allen F., and Mary Nooter Roberts. 2007. “Mystical Graiti and the Refabulation of Dakar.” Africa Today 54 (2):51–77. References cited __________. 2003. A Saint in the City: Sui Arts in Urban Senegal. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. Babou, Cheikh Anta Babou. 2007. Fighting the Greater Jihad: Amadou Bamba and the Founding of Muridiyya of Senegal, 1853–1913. Athens: Ohio University Press. __________. 2000. “ “Paintings like Prayers”: he Hidden Side of Senegaliese Reverse-Glass “Image/Texts.” Africa Today 31 (4):76–96. Judah, Tim. 2006. “Faith in the Market.” he Economist. December 19. http://www.economist.com/node/8450228 Robinson, David. 2000. Paths of Accommodation: Muslim Societies and the French Colonial Authorities in Senegal and Mauritania, 1880–1920. Athens: Ohio University Press. Masquelier, Adeline. 2001. Prayer Has Spoiled Everything: Possession, Power, and Identity in an Islamic Town in Niger. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Ngom, Fallou. 2009. “Ahmadu Bamba’s Pedagogy and the Development of `Ajamī Literature,” African Studies Review 52 (1):99–123. Zito, Alex. 2012. Prosperity and Purpose, Today and Tomorrow: Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba and Discourses of Work and Salvation in the Muridiyya Sui Order of Senegal. PhD diss., Boston University. 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