| Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof King of Sine | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The King ofSine Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof fully dressed in his ceremonial robe and mounting a horse. In his left hand, it looks like he is holding the flag of Sine. | |||||
| Reign | circa 1898 - 1924 | ||||
| Coronation | Crowned c. 1898 atDiakhao Kingdom of Sine, part of present-day  Senegal | ||||
| Predecessor | Maad a Sinig Mbacke Ndeb Njie | ||||
| Heir-apparent | Maad a Sinig Mahecor Joof | ||||
| Prime Minister | His GreatJaraff (equivalent ofprime minister) was Bandiougour Sène.[1] | ||||
| Born | Diakhao,Kingdom of Sine, present-day Senegal | ||||
| Died | (1923-12-21)21 December 1923 atDiakhao | ||||
| Issue | El Hajj Farba Diouf | ||||
| |||||
| House | The Royal House of Boureh Gnilane Joof | ||||
| Religion | Serer religion | ||||
Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof (Serer:Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoofeen fa Ndeb Juuf), also known asKumba Ndoffene Joof II orBour Sine Coumba Ndoffène Fandepp Diouf, was a King ofSine (in present-daySenegal).[2]Maad a Sinig translates as "King of Sine",Maad meaning king in theSerer language or one who bears witness.[3][4][5][6][7] The surnameJoof is the English spelling in theGambia.Diouf is the French spelling inSenegal (see:Joof family).
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,[8][9] which correlates with the written sources available at the time.[10] Other historians propose that, he reigned from 1897 or 1898 to 1923.[11] This version agrees pretty much with the oral tradition of theSerer 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 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.[12][13] Maad Mahecor Joof ascended to the throne in 1924,[9] 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,[14] more specifically on 21 December 1923 atDiakhao.[15]
Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof should not be confused with his great-uncle[16]Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Famak Joof, also known as Coumba Ndoffène I, who reigned from 1853 to August 1871.[17] TheprefixFamak (orFa mak) means "the elder" in the Serer language.Fa Ndeb (also :Fandepp,Fa ndepp orFandeb) 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.[18]
.jpg) | |
| Royal titles | |
| Lamane (alsoreligious) | |
| Maad | |
| Maad a Sinig | |
| Maad Saloum | |
| Teigne | |
| Lingeer | |
| Line of succession | |
| Buumi | |
| Thilas | |
| Loul Religious titles | |
| Saltigue | |
His predecessorMaad a Sinig Mbacke Ndeb Njie died without nominating hisBuumi (heir-apparent). At that time Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was theThilas (the second in line to the throne). Without a Buumi, Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb was elected by the GreatJaraff and his Noble Council, as King of Sine.[19] On his coronation, he was crowned Maad a Sinig Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof from theRoyal House of Boureh Gnilane Joof.[11][20] His GreatJaraff (equivalent of Prime Minister) was Bandiougour Sène.[1]
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. TheKingdom of Sine was divided intocantons 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23]
In 1901, Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb managed to prevent the creation of a Christian mission inDiohine and kept the Church out of Sine.[24] When a disgruntled son ofDamel-Teigne Lat Dior Ngoneh Latir Jobe (former King ofCayor andBaol) tried to incriminateAmadou Bamba 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 ofSerer religion 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.[8][15]
Maad Kumba Ndoffene Fa Ndeb Joof was an effective leader and his powers were very real despite French directives.[24] 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!"[8]
Apart from being aMaad a Sinig (King of Sine) and previously aThilas,[19] he was also madeOfficier de la Légion d'Honneur.[15]
Léopold Sédar Senghor, the poet andfirst president of Senegal, magnified the king of Sine in his famous poem"Joal" in 1945. He described inHomeric 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 [Senghor] still remembers in adulthood.[25]
Each year, the Mbacké family - the descendants ofAmadou Bamba Mbacké give thanks to theDiouf family ofSine 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 betweenDiakhao (Capital of Sine and former residence of the King) and Darou Marnane. It is a major event.[15]
Since 1983, theJoof/Diouf family have served as guests of honour atTouba's grand màggal.[8] Villalón writes:
In 1983Abdou Lahatte Mbacké, Bamba's son and successor as head of theMouride order, came toFatick personally to pay a visit to Farba Diouf in recognition of the service which the latter's father had performed for that of the former. The visit rekindled close ties, and since that date Farba Diouf has regularly attended thegrand màggal atTouba as a guest of the Mbacké family.[8]
| Preceded by | Maad a Sinig c. 1898–1924 | Succeeded by |
