Senegal
SENEGAL - Sacred trees abound in Africa and I was fortunate to be able to pay a visit to a famous gigantic baobab in Touba’s Mbal neighborhood during my project documenting the annual Murid pilgrimage to this sacred city in central Senegal. During the pilgrimage Touba expands in all directions as the population grows to over four million people. It is said that Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Murid Brotherhood, had prayed here, and pilgrims line up to enter the natural mosque. The woman proudly stands in the center of the large and ancient cavity framed by the knotty window. This was a moment worth traveling days for, a distillation of the spirit that abounds during these holy times.