The Tolstoy-Bamba Connection

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

Amadou Bamba (1853-1927)

Leo Tolstoy and Amadou Bamba were near contemporaries. Tolstoy was a theorist of non-violent resistance to state power, Bamba was a practitioner of non-violent resistance to state power. Tolstoy supported individuals like Shaykh Bamba whenever and wherever he could find them, but it does not appear that he was aware of the Senegalese sage or his struggles with French colonialism and (before that) Wolof aristocratic tribalism.

That is a shame: for had he known of Bamba he would have approved of the Shaykh's philosophy and methods; he would also have had some of his misconceptions concerning Islam corrected.

Likewise, Bamba knew nothing of Tolstoy or his theories. He was, like Tolstoy, a hedgehog: he knew One Big Thing and that knowledge made it impossible for him to stomach imperial French bigotry and thievery in the name of "civilization" or self-arrogated Wolof privilege. Even so, he refused to raise his hand against either one. Instead, he simply insisted upon his right to live free as a human being, a muslim, a scholar, a husband and father, a leader of the faithful, a friend of God.

In subsequent posts, we will explore the theory and practice of Bamba's Senegalese Muridiyya with occasional reference to Tolstoyanism.