Kocc Barma Fall

Birima Maxuréja Demba Xolé Faal
(Kocc Barma Fall)
"Théâtre en boîte" by the Senegalese artist Amadou Makhtar Mbaye. Depiction of philosopher Kocc Barma Fall's (right) visit to the Damel of Cayor (king of Cayor)
Born1586
Died1655
RegionAfrican philosophy
Main interests
ethics, politics and society
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Kocc Barma Fall or Kotch Barma Fall,[1] more commonly known as Kocc Barma, born Birima Maxuréja Demba Xolé Faal (1586-1655[1][2]) was a Cayorian philosopher and a member of the laman class.[2][3] Kocc Barma was an Ajoor-Ajoor — a Serer demonym, meaning an inhabitant of the Kingdom of Cayor (Wa Kajoor in Wolof), now part of present-day Senegal.[1]

He is considered to be the greatest Senegalese thinker and philosopher, and one of the prominent figures of African philosophy.[2] His fertile imagination, his quick wit and his metaphorical sayings are part of the universe of Wolof culture. During his lifetime, he was particularly concerned about the injustice of damels, whom he viewed as tyrannical.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Diagne, Léon Sobel, « Le problème de la philosophie africaine » (2004), p. 10 (archived by French Wikipedia)
  2. ^ a b c "Kocc Barma Fall disait…" (in French). Au-senegal.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b Ware, Rudolph T., The Walking Qurʼan: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa, UNC Press Books (2014), p. 101, ISBN 9781469614311[1]