"

 Maba Diakhou Bâ 

I first came across the Maba Diakhou Bâ article when I was looking for articles relating to Senegambia.  Having read the view history section of the article, it was evident that it has been on display for quite a few years now.

The purpose of starting this discussion is to disagree with several aspects of the historical account being presented in the Maba Diakhou Bâ article, based on reliable secondary sources as stated in the notablity policy.  Although I have primary documents about the man Maba Diakhou Bâ, I will stick to secondary sources in line with Wiki's policy.  Before I start to put forward my counter argument, I think a brief history is necessary for those who are not well familiar with the subject.  

Maba was a Senegambian jihadist in the 19th century who spent years launching wars against non-Muslim Kingdoms in order to convert them to Islam.  As it will become clearer , you will find out that converting people to Islam was not his only objective for launching jihad.  In any case, he was partly responsible for the mass conversion of the Senegambian people particularly the Wolof people and other tribes in the 19th century.  This is very significant, because Senegambia which encompasses Senegal and The Gambia are predominantly Muslim countries.  The Muslim population are the descendants of those converted in masses in the 19th century many of whom by Maba Diakhou Bâ.  Islam being very strong in both Senegal and The Gambia especially with the advent of the Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal, Maba Diakhou Bâ is given a saint like figure in both Senegal and The Gambia.  As such, no one dares to comment on the atrocities of Maba, his back handed dealings with the French and British administration during the colonial era, his enslavement of people whom he viewed as non-Muslims, his pillaging of lands etc.  Instead, the Muslim majority of Senegambia led by the Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal have fabricated his historical account and pass it off as facts that some historians have fallen for, but of course there are others who will not be duped and have examined the true facts and written it accordingly.  It is very important to point out here that, not all ordinary Senegambian Muslims feel this way.  Many of them try to go about their daily lives with little thought for these kind of things.  There are of course others who take the words of their religious leaders as scripture that is infallible even if ample evidence is presented to them.  In most cases, when I talk about the Senegambian Muslim masses, I am referring to the Senegambian Muslim establishment, who mingle in politics, control what historical or religious programmes are presented in the media etc.  These are the ones who control information and whose desire to is release the type of information they want others to know and believe.   Having said all that, I now address each of the inaccurate accounts presented in Maba's article.  

Maba was killed on the 18th July 1867 at the Battle of Fandane Thiouthiogne commonly known in Senegambian history as
The Battle of Somb. He was killed by the Serer people led by their King Buur Sine Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof when he thought he could go and launch his jihad against the Serer people as he had done with other non-Muslim tribes and kingdoms.  (Sources: Histoire du Sine-Saloum  by Alioune Sarr, and Essai sur l’histoire du Saloum et du rip by Abdou Bouri Bâ)

The article did not give us the exact date he died and in the ""Death and legacy"" heading, made a transitional error as to the year he died by putting ""1876"" instead of ""1867"". I will also address that section of the article later especially in relation to the first paragraph

In the first paragraph of this article, it says and I quote ""He became leader Almamy in Saloum"" and under the ""Resistance and Conquest"" heading,  (in other words resisting French colonialism as noted in the first paragraph of that heading) it states and I quote 
""While he eventually succeeded in overtaking the dynasty of Saloum, his movement never succeeded in Sine, (Kingdom of Sine) and much of Serer territory remained animist or Christian into the 20th century.""

First of all, Maba was nothing more than an Almamy in rebellion.  He was not a King with all the powers of a King and him overthrowing the Serer Dynasty of Saloum has not been accurately narrated in this article which I will delve in later.  Note also that in the last paragraph of the first heading, the article talks about how Maba founded Nioro du Rip, but it did not tell us in any part of the article how he founded it, just like in the whole article, important pieces of information has been