In September 2016, during the celebration of the blessed 10 days of Dhu al-Hijjah and Eid al-Adha, the West African Calligraphy Institute had an exhibition at the Central Illinois Mosque and venue where the Eid celebration was held.

We raised almost $1000 for the Institute and Islamic center.

Yelimane wrote an article for the West African Research Association 2015-2016 newsletter, and in conjunction with an exhibition being put on by the center entitled Community, Literacy, and Activism in Islamic Africa: The Paintings of Yelimane Fall.

Update: The exhibition “Community, Literacy, and Activism in Islamic Africa: The Paintings of Yelimane Fall” was most recently shown from August 2017 – December 2017 at Lafayette College in Easton, PA.

For the last year and a half the West African Calligraphy Institute has been working in conjunction with Village Pilote in Pikine, the French Development Agency, Islamic Relief France, and the Auteuil Apprentice Foundation on Project Xalima. Conceived by Yelimane Fall, this project uses the teaching of calligraphy to build inroads with hundreds of Daaras (Quranic schools) in the Dakar metro area.  In this way not only are the taalibes (students) exposed to the art of writing Quranic Arabic in the West African style, but they also receive medical attention and lessons on hygiene and health.

Xalima means pen in arabic.  Through the pen Mr. Fall sought to inspire and educate the young students (ages 5-17) while making crucial contacts and connections with the various serignes (teachers) of the Dakar area.  Working along with the teachers over a period lasting from Fall 2015 to Spring 2016, Mr. Fall selected 33 of the most writing proficient taalibes to participate in a special 45 hour apprenticeship in calligraphy.  The taalibes met for two hours a few days a week for 2 months to experiment with their own styles, learn more in depth about the mystical significance of the letters, and hone their writing craft.

The final phase of the apprenticeship culminated in a large press conference and exhibition at Village Pilote in Pikine.  There the students presented their work and talked about their experiences.  The taalibes were extremely proud of their work and we were proud of the effort they put into being part of such an important project.

While this project required a huge effort on behalf of Yelimane and all the organizations involved, what it accomplished was unique.  For the first time Daaras are allowing contact with non-profit organizations from Senegal and Europe, which is crucial if we are to work together with the government to create better living and learning conditions for the taalibes.  Additionally, the West African Calligraphy Institute was able to focus on its core mission in an expansive way, bringing both the knowledge of calligraphy and the joy of creation to hundreds of young people around Dakar.

It is the goal of the West African Calligraphy Institute to find a permanent residence where students from all over can come to study and preserve the unique form of Arabic Calligraphy found in West Africa. And although funding for a second round of Project Xalima is currently up in the air, it is our hope others will see this great accomplishment and help us to make the dream of a permanent Calligraphy Institute a reality.

During his residency at Waaw in April 2016, the West African Calligraphy Institute initiated a very special project with two public schools in Ndar: Ecole Primere Clairwater and Lysee Andre Petavaen.  These two schools are significant because they are the same schools attended by Yelimane as a child, on his road to becoming an internationally renowned artist and speaker.

Our goal in working with these schools was twofold.  First we wanted to share Yelimane’s worldly experiences with the youth and impress upon them the power and potentials of art and design in their own lives, careers, communities, country, and around the globe. Secondly, we wanted to share Yelimane’s knowledge of calligraphy and sufism, which he gained after leaving Ndar (St. Louis), with the youth of his hometown. And of course to experience with them the joy of creation!

Our deep gratitude to the teachers and principals at the two schools, and our volunteers from Waaw Residence, Sarah Moncrieff and Abdu Aziz Diakate, and Steffan and Jarmo. Thanks for working with the youth and community of Ndar.

From exhibition:

L’artiste-calligraphe Yélimane Fall est originaire de Saint-Louis. Peu connu au Sénégal, il a exposé plutôt aux États-Unis. Il a révolutionné le domaine de la calligraphie, imprégnant son travail de rythmes africains. La philosophie de Cheikh Amadou Bamba est au centre de son oeuvre, ainsi que le wolofal – le wolof ecrit avec un alphabète arabe. Soyez les bienvenus au vernissage mardi le 19 avril apd 18h !

The artist – calligrapher Yélimane Fall is a native of St. Louis. Little known in Senegal, he is a well know artist in the United States . He revolutionized the field of Arabic calligraphy, imbuing her work with African culture and rhythms . The philosophy of Cheikh Amadou Bamba is central to his work, and also the use of Wolofal – Wolof written with the Arabic alphabet . Welcome to the opening Tuesday, April 19 apd 18h ! 

(1) Série Póot mi. “Santé avant tout”. Paroles de Cheikh Amadou Bamba (versions wolofal, wolof, français), 50 x 75 cm, Pantex sur toile

(2) Série Póot mi.”Tout est dans la paix”. Paroles de Cheikh Amadou Bamba (versions wolofal, wolof, français), 50 x 75 cm, Pantex sur toile

(3) Série Les Valeurs. Hommage au 3ème Khalif Seydina Ousmane (RTA). Technique mixte sur toile, 40 x 60 cm

 

Calligraphy, Arts Education Sensibilisation, and Community Building

In November 2015 the West African Calligraphy Institute participated in a residency at the newly built cultural center Thread-Senegal in the village of Sinthian, located in the Tambacounda region of Senegal.  The focus of the residency was to build relationships with community members through workshops on calligraphy, art techniques, face to face mentorship, and discussions about West African calligraphy and arts education.

Calligraphy mentorship –

For community members interested in learning and practicing calligraphy we were available daily to practice techniques and learn about the history, numerology, and mystical significance of the 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet.

Pre-School Art Workshops –

Two workshops held with the smallest members of the Sinthian community focusing on artistic process and the techniques of art magic and collage.

Women’s workshop on fabric stenciling –

In conjunction with women of the Sinthian we discussed the design aspects and economic possibilities of decorating fabric using a basic stencil and acrylic painting technique.

Community Sensibilisation and discussions –

Sensibilisation is a French word meaning to bring awareness to a topic – in our case West African calligraphy and the importance of arts education.  We met with local leaders, imams, educators, and students to discuss the importance of the THREAD center in the community, arts education, and the significance of West African calligraphy.

Arts Education workshop for future artists-

With the help of THREAD and local schools we were able to bring together students interested in art from 5 surrounding villages: Sinthian, Fass, Jeliko, Koar, and Nguene. We discussed the importance of art in life, education, and careers – and led students through experimentation of 3 different artistic techniques.

We would like to give our thanks to the people at the Albers Foundation for making our visit possible, and our friends in at THREAD in Sinthian for all their help in making the residency a success.

Perspectives from African Muslim Nonviolence Traditions

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

11-13 September 2015
www.islampeaceconference.com

Nowadays Islam is clearly a growing source of suspicion and hostility in many societies. This situation is partly due to the numerous clichés and misunderstandings of the teachings of the faith in the media, and partly due to the various acts of terrorists who use the name of Islam in order to justify their ideology of violence and intolerance. Very often the media’s problematic treatment of Islam in its global and political contexts at large and of the concept of “Jihad” in particular, does not address the pervasive misunderstanding of the faith, nor does it do justice to its fundamental teachings of peace, tolerance, and forgiveness. In order to shed light on the central social and spiritual teachings of Islam and to emphasize the dominant understanding of the meaning of Jihad as self-improvement, it is pivotal to examine the legacies of Muslim leaders around the world who have promoted enduring traditions of nonviolence, tolerance, diversity, and respect of all cultures and religions.

A selection of Yelimane Fall’s artwork is being shown at the conference along with the exhibition Muslim Nonviolence: Cheikh A. Bamba – A Muslim Peacemaker.  The exhibition can be found on the 15th floor of the International Affairs Building at Columbia University, 420 W. 118th St | New York, NY 10027

(All artwork ©Yelimane Fall: top Islam the Universal Peace 2012; bottom Salaam/World Peace 2012)

A wonderful article about Yelimane Fall’s work as an artist, healer, and community activist, written by Cynthia Becker and Alex Zito, in the summer 2014 volume of the journal african arts. (click here to read the article)

Jerejef Serign Touba!

 35in x 27in acrylic on paper