Thiante – Spiritual Senegal: Feb 28, 2026
Join us for an evening of captivating rhythms, stirring vocals, and mesmerizing movement, and experience Senegalese traditions as they are lived and felt — alive, communal, and unforgettable. Featuring: Seydina Ndiaye, Ibrahima Diop, Talla Kane, Sadio Sissokho, El Hadji Mbaye, Elage Mbaye, Pape Ndiaye, and Assane Seck.
Presented in partnership with the Aga Khan Museum, Thiante: Spiritual Senegal unfolds in two vibrant acts. The first introduces Zikr, a dynamic tradition of vocal recitation, chanting, and cyclical rhythm that immerses participants in the communal energy of Senegalese sound culture. The second half showcases Sam Fall, a Baye Fall ritual form that fuses poetic praise, intricate rhythms, and spirited movement, creating a powerful, immersive experience of collective expression.
Thiante is a living cultural practice, rooted in centuries-old traditions of Senegalese marabouts. Its rhythmic repetitions, call-and-response patterns, and intricate vocal lines create an experience that is both captivating and transformative, offering insight into how sound, movement, and community intertwine in Senegalese life.
These practices are not staged as entertainment but presented as authentic examples of Senegalese sonic traditions, where rhythm, repetition, and performance convey identity, values, and shared experience.
Originating within Senegal’s influential Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mouride and Qadiriyya orders, these forms reflect a rich history of spiritual, ethical, and artistic life. The Baye Fall community, known for its vibrant ceremonies and communal rhythms, continues to shape Senegalese culture both at home and across the diaspora.
DATE: Sat Feb 28, 2026
TIME: 8 pm
VENUE: Aga Khan Museum, Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium, 77 Wynford Dr, Toronto
TIX: $33.75 to $45 at AgaKhanMuseum.org
The Artists
SEYDINA NDIAYE is from Thiaroye, Senegal. He received his early education in the Daara (Madrassa), where Koranic education is taught alongside morals and character development. He descends from a long line of a Mouride family, and from a young age, his learning focused primarily on singing praises for their Marabout, Serigne Touba (Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba), the founder of Mouridism, a large and influential Senegalese Sufi order. Being from this family and having a background in Koranic education enabled him to learn and perform Khassaides (devotional poems) written by Serigne Touba, in praise of and to acknowledge the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
The Baye Fall is a branch of Mouridism and is part of the Islamic Sufi movement in Senegal. Seydina Ndiaye is a Baye Fall. His singing of Khassaides has kept him grounded in spiritual awareness and has enabled him to perform at many traditional and religious ceremonies.
IBRAHIMA DIOP was born in Dakar, Senegal, and descends from a family of griots. His mother was a singer and tabla drummer, while his father was a Sufi singer from Kaolack, a major centre of Islamic education and home to the Leona Niassene Mosque, one of the largest and best-known in the country. Ibrahima’s upbringing played an important role in shaping his spiritual identity, and he began learning to sing at a young age. Growing up in this family helped him gain knowledge and develop his abilities as a singer of spiritual chants. Ibrahima Diop comes from a lineage that has been performing this form of spiritual music for generations. His older brother, Mouhamed Alla Diop, is a prominent religious singer.
TALLA KANE is a religious artist and singer of Senegalese origin. Passionate about music from a young age, he began his artistic journey guided by faith, spiritual values, and the desire to convey positive messages through song. A versatile artist—singer, composer, and musician—Talla Kane is also the leader of the band Makarimal Ahlaq. Through his work, he highlights spiritual teachings, peace, respect, and love for one’s neighbour.
Born into a griot family, SADIO SISSOKHO learned to play Senegalese traditional rhythms and instruments from a young age with his family group, Bannaya, a ballet troupe well known in Senegal. He attended l’École Nationale des Arts de Dakar, where he earned a certificate in traditional music studies. Sadio has mastered the kora, as well as the djembe, hinde, sabaar, and doun-doun drums.
EL HADJI MBAYE, also known as Elage, is a renowned Senegalese drummer and a descendant of a griot family. Music, singing, drumming, and dancing have always been an integral part of his life. At the age of eight, he began playing his country’s traditional percussion instruments, known as sabaars.
ELAGE MALICK MBAYE, who was born in Dakar, is a member of one of Senegal’s most illustrious musical families. He is proficient with the sabaar, a percussion instrument at the centre of Senegalese music, which also gives its name to the musical genre and dance.
PAPE NDIAYE is an exceptional tama player, one of the emblematic instruments of Senegalese traditional and modern music. He was a percussionist with the Orchestre National du Sénégal, one of the most prestigious orchestras affiliated with the Ministry of Culture.
ASSANE SECK is the son of the celebrated musician Zale Seck. His passion for the guitar began at an early age in Senegal, and he has since become one of the most sought-after musicians for a variety of musical projects. He is highly experienced in both traditional and contemporary forms of music and is also a skilled keyboard player.
