- Transliterated title: Naafulu Soto, Duwaaraŋo, Saalaaloolu, aniŋ Juubeeraŋo.
This collection encompasses several genres of texts including: prayers in Arabic; recipes for happiness and wealth; esoteric diagrams with Arabic text inside of them, and explanations of their purpose along with instructions on how to use them written in Mandinka Ajami. The goals of these esoteric diagrams include addressing people’s preoccupations (such as love and relationship issues). There are also protective incantations (called saalaalo in Mandinka) which blend Arabic litanies with Mandinka phrases in order to have tangible effects on real life events. Some esoteric figures are written in red and black followed by an explanation of their purpose in vocalized Mandinka Ajami. The collection also contains records of local customers who sought the divination services of Imam Nimbaly Thiam between 1969 to 2015. The divination services he offered (Arabic: istikhāra) are used to help people know about their future and protect them from evil, among other things. The records he kept in non-vocalized Mandinka Ajami show that his customers were diverse and that they came from people of all walks of life, religions, and ethnicities. His customers included Muslims, Christians, and followers of traditional religions from the ethnic groups that inhabit the Casamance region of Senegal. The records also include some of his financial transactions. The reference to Dollars and Pesos (the former currency of Guinea Bissau) in the records reflects the international dimension of his divination services. Most of the vocalized texts in the manuscript are written in Mandinka Ajami.
Custodial history: The current owner of the manuscripts (Abdoul Karim Thiam) inherited them from his father (Nimbaly Thiam) who died in the 2015 Mina stampede in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Extent and format of original material: 97 pages.
Physical characteristics: Unbound manuscript. Some words, especially around the frayed page edges, may be difficult to read. There are signs of water damage and ink stains with faded text on some pages, making the text on certain pages difficult to read. Black and red colors are used on some pages, including in the vocalizations of Mandinka Ajami texts.
Owner(s) of original material: Abdou Karim Thiam.
Author(s) of original material: Imam Nimbaly Thiam.
Additional language information: Mandinka with Arabic phrases.
Additional script information: Mandinka Ajami.
