Untitled

Gora Mbengue
1931–1988, b. Thiadiaye, Thiès Region, Senegal
Worked in Gorée, Dakar Region, Senegal
Untitled (Sheikh Amadou Bamba)
Late 20th century
Paint on glass
Bequest of Charlton E. Williams, 2002-14-19

Images like this once inspired defiance to French rule in Senegal.

Sheikh Amadou Bamba stands in the center, in a white robe and turban. A Sufi saint, poet, and teacher, he led a pacifist resistance against the French colonial administration. As a founder of the influential Mouride movement, one of four mystical Sufi groups within Islam, Bamba’s image was considered so potent—by both his followers, who believe it conveys blessings, and by the French, who feared it as a rallying point of resistance—that it was once banned in the colony.