The gentle power of Islam (World 2020, by Christian Bobst) - Swiss Press Award

November 8, 2017 - On the first morning of the Grand Magal in Touba, a group of women retreat into the house of the Ndiaye family while the men gather to pray in the courtyard. The Ndaye family commits to the Dahira of Serigne Fallou Mbacké, who was the second son of Cheikh Amadou Bamba.. The Grand Magal is the largest pilgrimage in Senegal and also the most important reunion of the Dahiras and the families of the Mourid Brotherhood. The women are regarded to be the center of the family in Senegalese society. The mothers are honoured as the glue that holds the family together. They are also responsible for the education of the next generation of good Muslims. Even though the majority of Senegalese society conforms to patriarchal principles, women have more freedom than in many other Muslim countries. Whether they wear headscarves or veils, wigs or natural hair in public is up to them. Unlike in many other muslim countries, women in Senegal are not considered to be their husband's property, otherwise it would have almost been impossible take this picture, especially for a male photographer.