Collections

Qadi Court Case Book Cover

Banjul Muslims and the Islamic Court

By Walter Hawthorne and Bala Saho

11 court cases created by the Bathurst (Banjul) Muslim court between 1927 and 1954.

Sidiyya Baba: Modernity in the Desert

Collaboration, Modernity and Colonial Rule: Sidiyya Baba and Mauritania

By David Robinson

17 images, 7 documents, and 3 maps and contextualizing essays tell the story of Sidiyya Baba, his fundamental role in the creation of French Mauritania, and the innovations and "modernizations" which he brought to his corner of the colony.

Kunta Genealogy

Contemporary Dynamics of the Buh Kunta Qadiri Community

By Maria Grosz-Ngaté

This collection features the vibrant branch of the Qadiriyya founded by Cheikh Bou Kounta in Ndiassane, Senegal. Interviews, photos, videos of public events, and news articles document aspects of the order’s history; continuity and change; the engagement of Qadiri youth; and aspirations for education and development.

A woman wears her veil on one shoulder, with short sleeves.

Public Face of Islam in Kumasi

By Gracia Clark

Kumasi Muslims show a creative and ambivalent relationship with the values and technology of modernity. While many embrace cell phones and video recordings, modern Western cultural influences and new currents of Islam from Saudi Arabia each raise controversy. Public settings showcase compromise and hybridity with valued local traditions.

Video footage, interviews, and slideshows of public events and street life in Kumasi's Muslim neighborhoods feature annual festivals, family celebrations, schools, and work life. Materials in this gallery display a wide variety of acceptable dress styles and occupations for men, women, and children.