The Economic, Political and Cultural Significance of the Mouride Brotherhood : an Answer to the West

Abstract

Senegal has long been presented as an example of a "successful" African state. However, under the surface, it is plagued by the economic and political problems characteristic of postcolonial Africa. Within this setting, one finds the Mouride brotherhood. The Mourides are a group of Muslims who have found a cultural prophet, in the Islamic tradition, in the person of Amadou Bamba. Bamba lived around the turn of the century, and his following has reached unparalleled levels of political and economic power in Senegal. Many claim that Bamba has provided an answer to the colonizers, a way for Africans to succeed without acceding to foreign domination. Though Senegal has been independent for nearly half a century, it still must cope with a world dominated by foreign powers. It is, therefore, necessary to consider whether Mouridism constitutes a viable alternative to the Western approach to economics and government, which has been imposed on much of Africa since the age of independence.· Any attempt to answer this question requires the context of examination of Senegalese and Mouride history; the preeminent figures, tenets, and practices of Mouridism; and the political and economic situation in Senegal.