Asalaam alaykum! The West African Calligraphy Institute is happy to announce some recent acquisitions of Yelimane Fall’s work. The Ackland Museum at UNC Chapel Hill is the new home to an amazing collection that focuses on Ahmadou Bamba’s exile during the French occupation of Senegal. This collection serves an interdisciplinary purpose, shining light on the story of Ahmadou Bamba, French colonialism, Senegalese culture, and West African Islam, as well as being an inspirational exemplar of Contemporary African Islamic Art. We know Yelimane would see it as a blessing and protection for students of UNC and people of North Carolina.
Chapel Hill, NC
Boston, MA
An extremely important acquisition of some of Yelimane’s major works was also made by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The pieces in this collection are among the finest examples of Yelimane’s signature calligraphie negro africane, and centered on the khassaides (poetry) of Ahmadou Bamba and West African Islam. These powerful pieces demonstrate some of Bamba’s central teachings, while highlighting the richness and diversity of art in the Islamic world.
And finally, two very unique pieces from the Protection Series were acquired by MIT’s Aga Khan Documentation Center. We are humbled and excited that Yelimane’s artwork continues to be exposed to new audiences, furthering the blessing and teachings of Ahmadou Bamba.
We sincerely thank everyone we worked with at these institutions to get more of Yelimane’s calligraphy out into the world. There is truly a beautiful community of people working in the worlds of Islamic and African arts, and it is our hope that some of Yelimane and Fallou’s pieces can be part of bringing people together and doing greater work. These acquisitions have helped the Institute’s mission in Senegal to continue building the school and research center in Sangalkam, and creating a satellite space for guests and workshops in Touba.
West African Calligraphy Institute 