THIERNO SEYDOU NOUROU TALL
Born around 1878 in Nioro du Sahel in the Oumarian states, Thierno Seydou is the son of Nourou who himself is the son of the great defender of Islam El Hadj Oumar Foutiyou Tall. Thierno Seydou, then aged around ten years old, was an eyewitness to colonial penetration and its impact on the established order. He experienced the dislocation of his community pushed into mass exile due to their refusal of colonization. He thus decided to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and invested himself in learning Islamic sciences. This led him to visit numerous religious centers in several countries between Mali, Mauritania and finally Senegal where he met the illustrious scholar El Hadj Malick Sy in 1914. He remained attached to the latter until to become his right hand man and his intermediary between the colonizers and the Muslim community. He therefore constituted himself as an official mediator between the colonizers and Islam and established himself as a defender of peace, worship and living together. He received from France the distinctive title of grand marabout of the AOF and was an essential vector of community cohesion. Its successful missions in Africa have demonstrated its effectiveness. He actively participated in the demand for the independence of Senegal and Mali, which he won in 1960 under the Federation of Mali. He received around thirty distinctions for his service to humanity from several countries, such as France, Tunisia, Liberia, Benin, China, Nigeria, ivory coast, Zaire, Lebanon, Cameroon, the Comoros Islands, to name just a few. After the independence, he was named honorary president of the Islamic council of Senegal and actively participated in the construction of the new independent state of Senegal.
His name was synonymous in all spheres with wisdom, service and cohesion. He passed away on Friday January 25, 1980, after a century of service leaving behind a grieving nation and a shaken Muslim world.
In tribute to the service rendered to the state of Senegal, President Senghor by presidential decree granted to the Oumarian family the place where Thierno Seydou’s mausoleum is erected today on the western cornice of the Senegalese capital, which houses the reconstruction project of one of the most illustrious mosques in West Africa, a place of meditation, prayer, and gathering of all Muslims in the Senegalese capital. Among the work projects are also a large Islamic library, an Islamic Museum and a large institute for learning Islamic sciences.