The Dakar Files… Ila Touba
Touba turned out to be my first official road trip. On a whim, I decided that yes I would go on this spiritual adventure.
Last time I was in this Holy City was some odd 20 years ago, and even then I was chaperoned by my parents coz I was clueless and oblivious where to go and what to do (pfft, as if I do now!).
This trip was some kinda special to me as I wanted to discover it on my own.
At first I considered driving out but changed my mind as I wanted to ride like a local the bus as I have been told that it’s a luxury experience in an air conditioned bus! Say no more, fam!
I did miss the experience of having to call in a Lyft to drop you off to catch the bus, but lucky me to have caught a cab minutes after I left the house, and so early might I add.
In the nick of time, ticket in hand, I boarded what I was told was a luxe bus with AC… The last part they got, the first, they definitely missed out on. The seats were not the most comfortable. Yes there was seating arrangements and lucky I got a seat with enough leg room to fully stretch out.
Last night Google map predicted that it’d take about 4.25 hours to get there, if I drove myself coz I’m not stopping anywhere, I might go above the speed limit, so forth and so on I could get there in under 4 hours…
Imagine my surprise when the kamikaze of a driver we had made it in under 4 hours, despite all the stops and traffic leaving the city… And so you guessed it, it was a very bumpy ride!
11am we’re in Touba, at the local market… How things have changed, yet remained the same… People notably have remained the same.
The motorway that used to be two lanes is now a 4 lane motorway with a divider, not to mention the roundabouts.
Call on the Mourides about a project for the city and watch the donations pour in. The love and devotion for this city is barred none to be matched. Last time I was here many sections of the mosque were blocked off for construction and renovation. But today, the mosque, still under construction, had come a long way! (Alhamdoulillah and MashAllah)
No expenses are ever spared when it comes to the legacy of the one and only Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Khadimou Rassoul… And none will ever be.
The architecture is well laid, the walls are beautifully arabesque adorned; the carpet was clean; the water fountain well cared for and maintained. I wanted to know the story of the fountain but never got to ask…
Lucky enough to have visited the mausoleum of Khadimou Rassoul coz last time only Dad was given the privilege to (only select few were allowed then). I also got to visit the mausoleum of his progeny…
I looked forward to visiting the library Daray Kamin as I had never been. My surprise was not so much the content of the library and its archives, but the people who were coming to seek knowledge…
There’s much to be said about a person, man of woman who’s looking to know all about his or her civilization yet embraces the best facets of other culture. There’s a growing force of Mouride intellectuals who in a few years will turn this Holy City into both a holy and smart city and therefore a great contender to be another capital for Senegal.
I was sent to school abroad and I ended up staying, but Mourides students have it in them that soon as they finish school they pack up and go home to resume their life in their respective communities… At least the ones that I have come across. I wish I had followed suit 15 years ago.
The sky in Touba is this rich shade of blue, the architecture of the mosque is spectacular, the devotion of the people is unparalleled… Yet there’s another picture to be painted of this city… The number of needy people, I came across, poked a hole in my heart! I saw both abled and disabled bodies; I saw people affected by some other conditions whether leprosy, albinism, member deformity… And if ever there was a moment in my life I was not humble, grateful, grounded, today I got a reminder that my life is full of privileges that I take for granted, that I feel entitled to, or that I am oblivious to…
In the mosque I saw many many people gather around a bowl and sharing a meal… I can see it was given to them, yet they openly and unselfishly invited me to come and eat with them. Yes, there’s yet hope for mankind… And I find that those who are less fortunate tend to have a bigger heart, tend to be more generous, and have more empathy. NYC might have hardened my heart and dried my tears but I felt the feels today.
One part of the trip that grossed me out to the umpteenth degree was the sheer amount of animal waste on the streets! I mean come on!!! This is a Muslim country, and a holy city within a Muslim country at that! Why is this not an issue for the devouts to live right in so much unsanitary life, so close to the mosque. I call in all the Mourides to look into reducing, or limiting, or eliminating waste up to the point one would actually walk barefoot. Although cattle is also a means of transportation here, and so I shouldn’t deprive these hustlers from their hustle.
A day trip that lasted a few hours but awoke in me memories that were buried many moons ago, and reminded me to be more human… Kid street beggars who willingly wanted to pose for my camera and/or wanted to appear on my video.
Where do locals eat? Good question, that I wouldn’t know how to answer, as I was fasting on this trip… but this I know for sure: the moment I saw this women with her stand selling caramelized shredded coconut, flashback of my childhood came flooding and I had to have some. Even if that meant saving it for later.
Where do guests and visitors stay? another good question… In this holy city, there are no hotels, motels or anything the likes! So I am told. There’s an official guesthouse for the officials and the diplomatic corps visiting… What about me a mere mortal? I would like to further look into this.
I suppose I’ll be back some day soon… And this time I’d like to take my time in really visiting the city and its outskirts. Ila Touba.
Quick update… two days after my trip, we learned that the Khalifa of the Mourides has gone onto a better world… He was a beacon like family members of his he inherited this position from… May he rest in Peace, in the highest of highest Heavens. Amine!
