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Missions and miracles
Developing women as religious mission
In 2005, Rokhaya Thiam was the forty-four-year-old head of midwifery at a hospital in Dakar's northern suburbs when a series of spiritual experiences led her into the Fayda Tijaniyya ('Tijani Flood') Sufi Islamic movement. In a dream, the Fayda's founding saint Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (1900-75) - better known to disciples as 'Baye', or 'Father' in Wolof (Wol.) - approached her and confirmed that he had authorized the leader she was considering visiting to initiate her into Sufi mystical knowledge. She approached this leader and received the mystical initiation of tarbiya (Arabic/Ar.) - the distinctive spiritual training process through which Baye's followers come to 'know God' (Hill 2007; Seesemann 2011). After tarbiya, Rokhaya and several other 'Taalibe Baay' (Wolof spelling, 'disciple of Baye/father') co-workers at the hospital formed a small daayira (Wol.), or circle of disciples. Like most Taalibe Baay daayiras springing up around Dakar, this mixed-gender daayira met weekly to chant dhikr (Ar.), or remembrance of God.
Two years later, Rokhaya Thiam realized that 'our needs went beyond a daayira', which they had created 'just for meeting, chanting dhikr, talking'.1She approached laboratory technician and fellow daayira member Youma Konaté to discuss forming 'a large group of women and call it the Association Mame Astou Diankha'.2They would name the association after Baye's mother to spread awareness of her. The two soon enlisted two other female co-workers and then several other men and women. Although the association often presents itself as women helping women, Rokhaya Thiam told me that 'in Baye's house, there are no men or women', echoing Baye's teachings on transcending gender through experiencing divine unity.
The association's leaders went to seek the support of Ndey Aïda Niasse, Baye's daughter, named after his mother.3Rokhaya told her:
It won't be an association that just meets to chant dhikr. Rather, it will meet to be able to work toward the development of the community [péey bi] as Taalibe Baay, so that through our work, we will be active in health, we will be active in education, we will be active in finance, and everything, so that among the fellow female disciples among us...