The Grand Magal originates in a request of Amadou Bamba's in which he asked that his followers celebrate the anniversary of his exile to Gabon. However, after Bamba's death in 1927, his son and successor Moustapha Mbacke organized the first Mouride gathering on the anniversary of his death rather than his exile (the first of these early Magals occurred in 1928, with an estimated participation of 70,000). This date remained until 1946, when Serigne Moustapha Mbacke's successor, Falilou Mbacke, changed the date of the Magal to the anniversary of Bamba's exile, in accordance with Bamba's original wishes. The period of exile in Gabon holds great importance to Mourides: it is seen as a time of persecution and testing of Bamba's spiritual strength and resolve.
