In the Footsteps of Omar ibn Said, a Muslim Slave from Fuuta Tooro

This article has a dual purpose. First, it explores the origins of Muslim slave Omar ibn Said from Fuuta Tooro, as described in his autobiography, dated 1831, and in his other writings. Secondly, it raises the question of how Omar's legacy is to be shared with the people of Fuuta. Indeed, the autobiography of the Muslim slave Omar ibn Said was presented to the scientific community by the Library of Congress in the United States in 2017. The rediscovery of this fifteen-page manuscript, which provides biographical details of Omar ibn Said, has attracted the interest of very different actors on both sides of the Atlantic. It is believed to be the only manuscript preserved in the United States, written in Ajami Arabic, by the hand of a slave from the Fuuta Tooro of Senegal, in the 19th century. In addition, there is the question of the symbolic return of his complete unpublished work to Africa, to share it with his native people. A ten-day trip to Fuuta Tooro and beyond enabled us to show Omar's manuscripts to Imams, Arabic, Pulaar speakers and translators, and to conduct interviews with the aim of identifying his village of origin. This article contributes to greater knowledge of the African origins of black Muslim slaves. It also opens up the debate on sharing the heritage of former slaves with the African continent, in order to reconcile African Americans with the land of their ancestors.