Mame Diarra Bousso

Mame Diarra Bousso (1833–1866) is a Murid saint. The annual pilgrimage to the site of her death and mausoleum is the only Muslim pilgrimage dedicated to a woman in Senegal. She was the mother of Amadou Bamba.

Biography

Mame Diarra Bousso was born to Serigne Mouhamadou Bousso and Sokhna Asta Wâlo Mbackein 1833 in Mbusôbé, a town in northeast Senegal today attached to Podor.[1]

Sokhna Diarra received an Islamic education from her mother at home, excelling at her studies.

After her marriage, she gave birth to several children, including Serigne Mouhamadou Mor Diarra (Boroom Saam), Serigne Habîboullah, Sokhna Fâty Mbacke, and Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. She provided her children with a thorough education.

Mame Diarra died at age 33 in 1866 and was buried in Porokhane.[1]

Legacy and sainthood

Today, thousands take the annual pilgrimage to the site of her death and mausoleum in Porokhane, Senegal, the only Muslim pilgrimage dedicated to a woman in Senegal. The site also includes a mosque as well as a vocational complex for girl to receive education and training.[1]

Mame Diarra is also celebrated in the African diaspora among some immigrant communities. In Harlem, men and women gather to recount the miracles of Diarra Bousso and her son Amadou Bamba, recite her khassaïd (poetry), and listen to griots sing of her life.[2]

Further reading
  • (in French) « Hommage à Sokhna Diarra Bousso (1833-1866) : Un modèle de vertus à méditer et à suivre » (biographie sur Seneweb, 2 mai 2009)
  • S. Thiam, Dama Diarra Bousso: Un idéal de vie. Mémoire de maîtrise. Dakar, Senegal: UCAD (Université Cheikh Anta Diop), 1998
  • Mbacke, Saliou (January 2016). The Mouride Order (PDF). World Faiths Development Dialogue. Georgetown University: Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Retrieved October 28, 2019.

References
  1. Cheikh Amadou Bamba Seye, "Mame Diarra Bousso, or Female Sainthood," www.majalis.org
  2. Abdullah, Zain (2010-09-01). Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199813612.
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