The collection consists of three sets of manuscripts. The first is a poem that celebrates Prophet Muḥammad’s virtues and retraces his life and the history of his family. The poem is written in Arabic with interlinear and marginal glosses. A few glosses are vocalized and are written in Soninke Ajami. The second manuscript is a Mandinka Ajami exegesis of the popular Mālikī jurisprudence (figh) text known as Al-Akhdarī widely used in West Africa. The third set of manuscripts consists of five types of texts which include prayers to help people achieve social mobility, a manual of special prayers and techniques for finding solutions to people's social problems (including love), and a personal letter in Mandinka Ajami.
Custodial history: The owner inherited the texts from his father (Imam Keba Dabo Cisse) after his death. His father was born in the region of Sedhiou. He had an advanced Islamic education and served as Imam and a religious leader in Ziguinchor until his death.
Extent and format of original material: 3 files.
Additional script information: Soninke Ajami, Mandinka Ajami.
