Baye Fall follower Diamou Moustafa Fall poses for a portrait during the holy month of Ramadan in Touba, on March 1, 2026. As if their lives depended on it, thousands of disciples from a singular Senegalese religious community devote themselves to their daily mission: preparing meals for the breaking of the fast during Ramadan ó an essential expression of their spirituality, which has few parallels in Islam.
They are known as the Baye Fall and they belong to the highly influential Mouride Sufi brotherhood in Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country. Yet their practice of Islam is unlike that of any other Muslim community: the Baye Fall neither pray nor fast, two fundamental precepts among the five pillars of the religion.
They are also instantly recognizable by their striking appearance ó dreadlocks, multicolored patchwork garments, and the many mystical accessories they wear. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)