Peter Bogardus and Cherif Fall
Touba - New York, 2005
New York: Khelcom Press
One of forty-five copies. Signed by Bogardus and by Fall.
1418
Folio. (3), 21, (1)ff. Thirty-five photogravures taken and executed by Bogardus provide a lush visual tour through the Mouride populations of Senegal and New York. Bogardus had met and traveled...
Folio. (3), 21, (1)ff. Thirty-five photogravures taken and executed by Bogardus provide a lush visual tour through the Mouride populations of Senegal and New York. Bogardus had met and traveled extensively with the descendants of the Murid movement's founder, Sheik Bamba, among whom is Fall. Fall's calligraphy expressively captures feelings of community and power, whether in Touba (the second largest city in Senegal and Bamba's sacred burial place) or in New York, which has become home to a growing number of Senegalese migrants. So great is the familial connection between the two places that the current spiritual leader of the Mourides travels to Harlem and oversees a week-long celebration, concluding with a parade down 116th Street. The Murid faith, a branch of Sufi Islam, continues to thrive on its founding principle of peace. Fall's text makes clear that this principle is a direct response to colonialism, and that implicit in the tenets of the movement is the assertion of community as a site of resistance. Photogravures printed from copper and text from wood on Kumohadamashi paper made from hemp and mulberry. Bound by Gray Parrot in full black cloth over boards with checkered title label inlaid to upper cover. Housed in clamshell box. Fine.