Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof, also known as Kumba Ndoffene Joof II or ''Bour Sine Coumba Ndoffène Fandepp Diouf'', was a King of Sine (in present-day

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

Maad a Sinig Maad a Sinig (variations : Mad a Sinig, 'Maad Sine, Maat Sine, Bour Sine, Bur Sine, etc.) means king of Sine. The ancient Kingdom of Sine, now part of Senegal, was a pre-colonial Serer kingdom . Their kings were titled ''Maad'' or ''Maad'' (also ...

(also: ''Mad a Sinig'' or ''Maad Sine'') translates as "King of Sine", ''Maad'' meaning king in the

Serer language Serer, often broken into differing regional dialects such as Serer-Sine and Serer saloum, is a language of the kingdoms of Sine and Saloum branch of Niger–Congo spoken by 1.2 million people in Senegal and 30,000 in the Gambia as of 2009. It i ...

. The surname

Joof Joof, is a typical Serer patronym in the Gambia. In French-speaking Senegal, it is written as Diouf, whilst in English-speaking Gambia, it is written as Joof. It is the surname of: * Alhaji Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof (1924 – 2011), Gambian ...

is the English spelling in the Gambia. Diouf is the French spelling in

(see:

Joof family Joof (English spelling in the Gambia) or Diouf (French spelling in Senegal and Mauritania) is a surname that is typically Serer. This surname is also spelt Juuf or Juf (in the Serer language). They are the same people. The differences in spel ...

). There is no consensus regarding the exact date that Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb succeeded to the throne. According to some, he reigned from 1898 to 1924,Villalón, Leonardo Alfonso, ''Islamic society and state power in

: disciples and citizens in

Fatick Fatick ( wo, Fatik, srr, Fatik) is a town in Senegal, located between M'bour and Kaolack and inhabited by the Serer people. Its 2005 population was estimated at 24,243. It is the capital of the Fatick Region and the Fatick Department. Toponym ...

'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, p. 200. Klein, ''Islam and imperialism in Senegal'', p. XV. which correlates with the written sources available at the time. Other historians propose that, he reigned from 1897 or 1898 to 1923.Diouf, «''Chronique du royaume du Sine'', in ''Bulletin de l'IFAN'', tome 34, série B, n° 4, 1972, p. 732. This version agrees pretty much with the oral tradition of the Serer people. According to Serer tradition, the king was very ill before his death and ruled for 27 winters (27 years) before his successor -

Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof (English spelling in the Gambia; variations: Maad a Sinig Mahécor Diouf - French in Senegal; ''Maad Siin'' or Mad a Sinig Mahekor Juuf, also ''Maye Koor Juuf'' - in Serer-Sine language) was the last king to rule the ...

succeeded to the throne. When the King died, there was a period of mourning and it took a little while to prepare for the Coronation ceremony of Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof according to Serer custom and tradition. Maad Mahecor Joof ascended to the throne in 1924, more precisely, according to some, on 28 January 1924. Regarding the year Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof died, there is consensus that it was in 1923, more specifically on 21 December 1923 at

Diakhao Diakhao ( Serer proper : Jaxaaw) is a commune in the Fatick Region in the west of Senegal. History Diakhao was the last capital of the pre-colonial Serer Kingdom of Sine. It has several sites classified as historical monuments. It houses the t ...

. Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof should not be confused with his great uncle

Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof Maad a Signig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof (variations : Mad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, Mad a Sinig Coumba Ndoffène Fa mak Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf, Coumba N'Doffène Diouf I, Maat Sine Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, etc. - c. 1810 � ...

, also known as Coumba Ndoffène I, who reigned from 1853 to August 1871. The

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...

''Famak'' (or ''Fa mak'') means "the elder" in the Serer language. ''Fa Ndeb'' (also :''Fandepp'', ''Fa ndepp'' or ''Fandeb'') means "the young" in Serer. These prefixes were later additions (during and after the reigne of Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb) to differentiate the two Kings of Sine who shared the same name and surname.

Succession

His predecessor Maad a Sinig Mbacke Ndeb Njie died without nominating his

Buumi Buumi (many variations : Buumy, Bumy, Bumi, etc.) was a Serer royal title in the Serer pre-colonial Kingdoms of Sine, Saloum and previously Baol. Diouf, Niokhobaye. ''Chronique du royaume du Sine''. Suivie de notes sur les traditions orales et ...

(heir-apparent). At that time Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was the

Thilas Thilas (or tjilas, Djilas Tilas, etc.) was an ancient title of nobility used in the Serer pre-colonial Kingdoms of Sine, Saloum and previously the Kingdom of Baol, which are all now part of modern-day Senegal. The ''Thilas'' was the second in the ...

(the second in line to the throne). Without a Buumi, Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was elected by the Great Jaraff and his Noble Council, as King of Sine. On his coronation, he was crowned Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof from the Royal House of Boureh Gnilane Joof. His Great ''Jaraff'' (equivalent of Prime Minister) was Bandiougour Sène.

French interference

The succession of Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was unwelcomed by the French administration in Senegal, in particular by Hippolyte Alsace. The Great Jaraff and his Council of nobles who were in charge of electing the kings from the royal family were informed by Alsace that, he would not endorse their choice. The noble Council objected, and told him they had made their choice, and the people of Sine had appointed Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb as their king. This answer displeased the French administration. The

Kingdom of Sine The Kingdom of Sine (also: ''Sin, Siine'' or Siin in the Serer-Sine language) was a post-classical Serer kingdom along the north bank of the Saloum River delta in modern Senegal. The inhabitants are called ''Siin-Siin'' or ''Sine-Sine'' (a Se ...

was divided into

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

and Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was appointed Superior Chief of Eastern Sine and his rival Prince Kumba Jimit was made Superior Chief of Western Sine. The interference of the French administration in Sine and their attempt to divide the Sine into cantons were bound to fail. Whilst in theory Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was a simple Chief, in practice, he was King of Sine. The Serers of Sine had elected him and they were reluctant to submit to the orders of anyone else. The flaws in this system became apparent when the Serer population of Western Sine refused to pay their taxes. When the French administrator Victor Valantin went to Western Sine in March 1899 in order to force the people to pay taxes, the Serers of Western Sine hid their children, their wives and animals, and took up arms. Valantin and his party were forced to make a hasty retreat. Relations between the French administration and the Serer nobility of Sine deteriorated further when Charles Lefilliâtre wrote to Prince Leopold Joof, the private secretary of the King, saying that "there was no king," and a letter to Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb calling him a "simple chief and nothing more." Lefilliâtre later retracted his statements and became the main supporter of Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb within the French administration of Senegal.

Leadership

In 1901, Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb managed to prevent the creation of a Christian mission in Diohine and kept the Church out of Sine.Klein, ''Islam and imperialism in Senegal'', p. 203. When a disgruntled son of Damel-Teigne Lat Dior Ngoneh Latir Jobe (former King of

Cayor Cayor ( wo, Kajoor; ar, كاجور) was the largest and most powerful kingdom (1549–1879) that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. Cayor was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Walo, west of the kingdom ...

and

Baol The Kingdom of Baol or Bawol in central Senegal was one of the kingdoms that arose from the split-up of the Empire of Jolof (Diolof) in 1555. The ruler ( Teigne or Teen) reigned from a capital in Diourbel. The Kingdom encompassed a strip of l ...

) tried to incriminate

Amadou Bamba Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke ( wo, Ahmadu Bamba Mbacke, ar, أحمد بن محمد بن حبيب الله ''Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb Allāh'', 1853–1927) also known to followers as Khādimu 'al-Rasūl () or "The Servant of the Messenger" a ...

by accusing him of pilling weapons in order to launch a war against the French administration, the French put Amadou Bamba on trial. Although Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was a devout follower of

Serer religion The Serer religion, or ''a ƭat Roog'' ("the way of the Divine"), is the original religious beliefs, practices, and teachings of the Serer people of Senegal in West Africa. The Serer religion believes in a universal supreme deity called Roog ...

and not a Muslim, he was the only one who came to the defense of Amadou Bamba, and told the French administration to release him at once as the accusations made against him are nothing but lies. Amadou Bamba was released and all the false charges against him were dropped. Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof was an effective leader and his powers were very real despite French directives. When Farba Diouf (son of Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb) - himself a later convert to Islam, was once asked whether his father had ever contemplated converting to Islam. His response was: "Never!"

Titles

Apart from being a

(King of Sine) and previously a

,Klein, ''Islam and imperialism in Senegal'', p. 173. he was also made

Officier de la Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

.«Magal du Grand Témoignage du Bour Sine Coumba Ndoffène Diouf Fandëb à Serigne Touba Khadimou Rassoul : 7 June 2009-DIakhao - 13 juillet 2009 Darou Marnane », article of ''

Soleil SOLEIL ("Sun" in French) is a synchrotron facility near Paris, France. It performed its first acceleration of electrons on May 14, 2006. The name ''SOLEIL'' is a backronym for ''Source optimisée de lumière d’énergie intermédiaire du LURE ...

'' in Xibar.ne

/ref>

Legacy

Léopold Sédar Senghor Léopold Sédar Senghor (; ; 9 October 1906 – 20 December 2001) was a Senegalese poet, politician and cultural theorist who was the first president of Senegal (1960–80). Ideologically an African socialist, he was the major theoretician o ...

, the poet and first president of Senegal, magnified the king of Sine in his famous poem ''" Joal"'' in 1945. He described in ''

Homeric Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

'' manner all the nobility that surrounded the King in his ceremonies, and went on to talk about how Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb once tried to trim his royal robes, which he enghorstill remembers in adulthood.«Je me rappelle les fastes du Couchant. Où Koumba N'Dofène voulait faire tailler son manteau royal.», in Brunel, Pierre (coord.), ''Léopold Sédar Senghor. Poésie complète'', CNRS éditions, 2007 Each year, the Mbacké family - the descendants of Amadou Bamba Mbacké give thanks to the Diouf family of Sine in remembrance of the day Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof came to the defense of Amadou Bamba against the false accusations levied against him. The event which is celebrated on 7 and 13 June each year, alternates between

(Capital of Sine and former residence of the King) and Darou Marnane. It is a major event. Since 1983, the Joof/Diouf family have served as guests of honour at Touba's grand màggal. Villalón writes:

Notes

Bibliography

* Ajayi, J. F. Ade et Crowder, Michael, ''History of West Africa'', vol. 1, Longman, 1985. * Brunel, Pierre (coord.), ''Léopold Sédar Senghor. Poésie complète'', CNRS éditions, 2007, 1313 pp. * Diouf, Marcel Mahawa, ''Lances mâles: Léopold Sédar Senghor et les traditions sérères'', Centre d'études linguistiques et historiques par tradition orale, Niamey, 1996. * Faal, Dawda, ''Peoples and Empires of Senegambia: Senegambia in history, AD 1000-1900'', Saul's Modern Printshop, 1991. * Galvan, Dennis C., ''The State Must be Our Master of Fire'', University of California Press, 2004. * Klein, Martin A., ''Islam and Imperialism in Senegal: Sine-Saloum, 1847-1914'', Stanford University Press, 1968. * Oliver, Rolan, Fage, John Donnelly et Sanderson, G. N., ''The Cambridge History of Africa'', Cambridge University Press, 1985. * Villalón, Leonardo Alfonso, ''Islamic Society and State Power in Senegal: disciples and citizens in Fatick'', Cambridge University Press, 1995.

External links

Le Roi Coumba Ndofféne Diouff en tenu d'apparat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joof, Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Serer royalty Former monarchies of Africa Joof family 1923 deaths Year of birth unknown Maad 19th-century monarchs in Africa *Monarchs Former countries in Africa