Because of the Muslim identity of most of the peoples of northern Senegambia and Mauritania, the French administration relied upon highly literate Muslims in Saint-Louis to manage correspondence in Arabic and to conduct diplomatic missions in the interior. Governor Faidherbe was fortunate to find two such individuals in the mid-19th century, and each played a priceless role for several decades in the expansion and growing [[img]]hegemony the French exercised in the region. One was Hamat Ndiaye An, the qadi of the Muslim Tribunal and the "Tamsir" or head of the "Muslim religion" in the town. The other was Bu El Moghdad Seck, the leading interpreter for Arabic at the Political Affairs Department of the administration. Bu El Moghdad carried out many diplomatic missions from the 1850s to 1880, and his son, sometimes called Bu El Moghdad II or Dudu Seck, did the same in the 1890s and early 1900s. Both Secks were sent on the pilgrimage to Mecca, and the administration made much of this evidence of its openness to Islamic practice and distinction.
An excerpt from Bu-El-Mogdad’s statement to the Director of Political Affairs in 1860 explaining the rationale for administration support of his pilgrimage:
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I think it would be most advantageous that some of the marabouts who are loyal to the French should achieve supremacy over those who still retain the old prejudices. As you know, the strongest marabouts are already those who serve French interests; but they would enjoy more influence still if they were not merely enabled to visit Paris and Algiers, but allowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, like Al-Hajj [Umar]. Such a pilgrimage might have very important results, because it would be known in the country that it was made under French patronage and that this patronage was as valuable as the best-established reputation as a good Muslim....
Other well educated Muslims followed the lead of the An and the Secks in the late 19th century. One was Ndiaye Sarr, who served as qadi of the Tribunal in the 1890s. [[img]]His son Umar provided interviews about the family and Saint-Louis, in 1985 to David Robinson and in 1994 to Kalala Ngalamulume. We have provided interview transcripts in French of both interviews, as well as the audio of the 1985 session. Umar developed a close relationship with the Murids in the early 20th century, and played a role in the expansion of Murid influence in the town.