Why Senegal’s patchwork-wearing Muslims feel misunderstood

For Baye Fall devotees, faith is not expressed through five daily prayers or fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, like most Muslims, but through hard work and community service. In their eyes, heaven is not merely a destination but a reward for those who toil.

They are often misunderstood by other Muslims – and there is also a misconception in the West that some drink alcohol and smoke marijuana, which is not part of their ethos.

“The philosophy of the Baye Fall community is focused on work. It’s a mystical kind of working, where labour itself becomes devotion to God,” Maam Samba, a leader of a Baye Fall group in Mbacke Kadior, tells the BBC.

They feel each task – whether ploughing fields under the relentless sun, building schools, or crafting goods – is imbued with spiritual significance. Work is not merely a duty; it is a meditative act, a form of prayer in motion.

It is here in the village of Mbacke Kadior that the community believes their founder, Ibrahima Fall, first met Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, who in the 19th Century established the Mouride brotherhood, a branch of Sufi Islam, that plays an influential role in Senegal.

Fall is said to have dedicated himself entirely to Bamba’s service and often neglected his own needs, including eating, fasting, praying and taking care of himself.

His followers recount that over time his clothes became worn and patched, reflecting his selfless devotion. This is how the Baye Fall philosophy and tradition of patchwork clothing originated.

This kind of loyalty to a religious leader is what his followers now practise – a concept known as “ndiguel” – many Baye Fall even include the word in their children’s names.

Fall’s work ethic is also reflected in the heart of Mbacke Kadior at a workshop where collaboration and creativity thrive to create beautiful patchwork clothing.

Women work with quiet focus, dipping plain fabrics into vats of vibrant dyes. With each dip, the cloth absorbs layers of rich, bold colours, gradually transforming into striking textiles.