TABAA KONKORON.

The story of the mystical trees

This story is close to home. I am no historian or anthropologist but I believe in unearthing our hidden so-call mysteries. Africa rank high among continents with many hidden and mysterious place. A large number of mysticism is set around saints or perceive great men. The holiness and spiritual powers attributed to dead religious men continuous the legend which leads to spirit calling. This is sinful in the Muslim traditions but like many cultural systems, believe has its sophisticated understandings.

This story is similar to much shrine worship. The concept of grave veneration. The graves of men like Shiek Amadou Bamba, Baye Nyass, Sinmoto Kemo Sanou, Malick Sey, etc venerated by common people.
Our region is not alone in this, many Asian, North African, South American, and even European countries practice some form of people worship. When I say worship, it is not meant in the ritualistic manner, but the way this people’s life’s are celebrated is close worshiping them. In many European cities and the Americas, the statues of past former leaders can be seen in parks, in front of historical buildings and many squares. This isn’t just innocent coincidence; it is a deliberate ploy to make this people stay in the memory of the future generations.
Others can go and perform some rituals, whilst some only place wrapped around the graves and remember this men, but in reality, people take this respected dead men/women venerably.
The story of a place called TABAA KONKORON
This place is where people in the old days would scare the hell out of thieves, fornicators, adulterers and adulteress, and murderers. Even in communal feuds, people threaten to go to Tabaa Konkoron.
What is tabaa konkoron?
This is a place located in a border town between The Gambia and Senegal. The nearest way to get there is by heading for the famous lumoo (one day market) Sereign Ngai. The town is Makka Kolibantan. But what peole mix is the name of the place. The real location of tabaa konkoron
Is Kolibantan. A twin town located close to each other. You can hardly go to Makka without entering Kolibantan. So the name became Makkakolibantan.
In Kolibantan, there use to live two brothers who were great spiritual men. According to reliable sources, this two brothers helped lots of people through their spiritual powers and kindness. They died in the town. But these two brothers had two people who worked for them. A blacksmith and a servant. when all of them passed away, they were buried at the out scat of the village kolibantan.
This burial place is mystical by itself. The location is where three trees stand facing each other. These trees are known in Mandingo as tabou. The verb is tabaa. So people rather refer to this trees as tabaa konkoron. Konkoron is mandinka adjective which I don’t fully understand yet.
It may have to do with the mode the trees are standing or how they look like. But the two brothers, their servant and blacksmith were buried in the place of the three tabous.
Over time people started placing gift under the threes close to the graves. This went on for a long time. And the place became legendary when people would go making prayers for finding lost properties and seek vengeance against their tormentors. Strangely, this prayers was said to be answered. A floodgate begun. People go there for all sorts of reasons, but the common reasons are when one is in difficulty or when people wronged you. They will take all sorts of gift; common gift is cola nuts, candles and even money.
People will openly confess to sleeping with other spouse when threaten with tabaa konkoron. Thieves will return stolen properties and seek forgiveness from property owners if tabaa konkoron is mentioned.
All young bolongba folks like me who were young at the peak of the mystics of tabakonkoron is wonder what evidences or success stories made people to fear the spirits of tabaa konkoron?
What is clear is that the place is where two holy brothers are buried, with their servant and blacksmith. And the actual location is where three tabous stand facing each other.

We see graves and the calling of ancestral spirits still playing huge importance in Africans religious believes. This is an avenue for future research. The magal in Touba Senegal, the Gamou in touba wulli for Sinmoto kemo sano and countless others are places of annual festivals.
In the town of Makka the famous marabous reside. The Jabbi kunda family(karan Abdoulie Jabbi, the late Banfa Jabbi and the late Soriba Jabbi). kolibantan is famous for tabaa konkoron and makka famous for the jabbi marabous, most kombo and Banjulian knew about this places. No one do marabourism pass our capitol country men and women.