Excursion to Medina Baye, Senegal (Thursday May 22 to Saturday May 24)
Trip Overview:
Join us for a 3-day spiritual retreat to Medina Baye, Senegal. Medina Baye is a sacred Sufi city founded by Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse (1900-1975), a Senegalese Islamic scholar, Tijani Sufi shaykh, and pan-Africanist who led the twentieth century’s largest religious movement in Africa. Medina Baye is located approximately 200 kilometers (or 125 miles) northeast of Dakar. During Shaykh Ibrahim's lifetime, Medina Baye attracted Muslims from throughout Africa, including from Mauritania, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan. From the 1970s onwards, Shaykh Ibrahim's grandsons Shaykh Hassan Cisse (1945-2008), Imam Cheikh Tidiane Cisse, and Shaykh Mouhamadou Cisse helped spread their grandfather's pan-African Sufi movement to Muslims throughout the African diaspora and world. Since the 1980s, Medina Baye has been home to hundreds of Black American Muslims.
During our time in Medina Baye, we will experience everyday spiritual life in a pan-African Sufi city. We will learn about the history of Medina Baye, which was founded in 1930 as safe haven and sacred site for the Tijani Sufi tariqa at a time when the region was under French colonial domination, and which remains in the twenty-first century as a site of spiritual transformation and pan-African exchange. We will visit the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye for daily prayers, attend Tijani communal dhikrs, meet with Tijani shuyukh, and visit educational and cultural institutions collaboratively founded by Senegalese and Black American Tijanis.
The excursion to Medina Baye will be led by Samiha Rahman and Rasul Miller, who have been visiting Medina Baye for more than a decade, previously lived there, and have conducted research in the city and on the Tijani movement.
Three-Day Excursion Cost ($230 or $300):
The excursion fee includes lodging, all meals, and cultural and educational experiences in Medina Baye. Participants will be staying at the Medina Baye Residence, a boutique hotel founded by Black American Tijanis. All rooms feature 1 queen bed. Two participants may share the room/bed for $230 per person, or an individual participant may stay in the room by themselves for $300.
Transportation Cost (approximately $70-100):
It takes about 3-4 hours to drive from Dakar to Medina Baye. Roundtrip transportation from Dakar to Medina Baye will cost around $70-100. Participants will be given the exact price prior to departing and expected to pay this before boarding the vehicle.
Payment Info:
To secure your spot, please complete this registration form and send 50% of the excursion cost via Zelle to elizfaison@gmail.com by May 1, 2025. The remaining 50% of the excursion cost will be due by May 19, 2025. The excursion cost is $230 per person for a room/bed shared by 2 people or $300 for a room for one person. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Samiha Rahman via email (samiha.rahman@csulb.edu) or phone/WhatsApp (+1-503-939-2642). Spaces are limited, so please secure your spot as soon as possible by please completing this registration form and sending your 50% deposit.
Tentative Itinerary:
Thursday May 22, 2025
9:00 am: Meet at the Pullman Teranga hotel in Dakar
9:30 am: Depart for Medina Baye
1:00 pm: Arrive in Medina Baye and check-in to the Medina Baye Residence
2:00 pm: Introduction to Medina Baye (cultural norms)
2:30 pm: Dhuhr at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
3:30 pm: Lunch
5:15 pm: Asr at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
5:30-7:00 pm: Panel Discussion: History of Medina Baye & Introduction to the Tijani Tariqa
7:00-8:30 pm: Maghrib, Wazifah (Tijani dhikr), Ziyara (spiritual visitations), and Isha at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
9:00: Dinner
Friday May 23, 2025
8:00-10:00 am: Breakfast
10:00 am-12:00 pm: Pop-up Market with Local Vendors
1:30 pm: Jummah at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
3:00 pm: Lunch
5:15 pm: Asr at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
6:00-8:30 pm: A Spiritual Evening at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye - Dhikrul Jummah (Tijani dhikr), Maghrib, Wazifa (Tijani dhikr), and Isha
9:00-10:00 pm: Coffee & Qasida Night
10:30 pm: Dinner
Saturday May 24, 2025
8:00-9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00: Tour of the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
10:00: Tour of the African American Islamic Institute and Legacy Academy (Qur'an schools)
11 am-1 pm: Rest
1:00 pm: Lunch
2:30 pm: Dhuhr at the Grand Mosque of Medina Baye
4:00 pm: Check-out
4:30 pm: Depart to Dakar
8:00 pm: Arrive at the Pullman Teranga hotel in Dakar.