The pride of being a disciple of a man like Serigne Touba cannot be explained! It is lived, savoured! And this, whether it is windy, rainy or hot! Story of a one-way trip to the holy city of Touba, which continues its flight towards the summits.The fervour does not weaken, the same scenes of allegiance and attachment to a city.To a brotherhood.To a man.Braving extreme heat on kilometres of jams just for the pleasure of commemorating a man’s departure into exile!There are things that reason cannot explain.And yet, there are more than 5 million, according to estimates, to come from around the world to celebrate the departure into exile of Sheikh AhmadouBambaMbacké.This has been going on for decades.For this 2022 edition, the fervour of the faithful is perceptible from the Ila Touba toll highway.On this stretch, which connects Dakar through the regions of Thiès to Diourbel, the kilometres of traffic jam are supported with philosophy.If some have preferred to stretch their legs by walking the greenish pavement of the toll, others make up for a night spent fine-tuning the final set-up in the cars.The wait, sometimes long, offers a surreal spectacle.Mouth open and face plastered on the windows of the passenger seats, all means are good to gain a few minutes of sleep.It’s like this until the village of Ngabou.From there, some, in a hurry to reach the city, make the choice abandon public transport to take horse-drawn carriages and other clandestine taxis.Here too, the fervour seems to be only on the side of the travellers.Carriers only believe in money.« We want to go to DarouMarnane, » asks a young couple with their baby.Sweltering heat is a boon for unscrupulous carriers, who take advantage of the affluence to multiply the rates.Faced with the high cost of transport, the couple preferred to continue on foot to DianatoulMahwa.On the other side, the traffic jams are more imposing in the holy city.It is even advised to walk if the distance is not long.By Malik GAYE / mgaye@lequotidien.sn