Oral History Interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse on August 8, 2020

Oral history interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse conducted by Ayesha Cook on August 8, 2020. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Ayesha Cook. Kafani Ibrahim Cisse, respectfully known as Shaykh Kafani, was born in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, to parents who hailed from Louisiana and Mississippi. Shaykh Kafani was raised in a close-knit, extended family whose members identified as Christian. His father was the first Black Vice President of an investment company called the Household Finance Company. Shaykh Kafani’s family moved to Detroit, Michigan while he was growing up, and he attended Detroit Public Schools. After discovering his talent for the performing arts, Shaykh Kafani enrolled in an arts program at Cass Tech High School, and then studied dance and modeling at Wayne State University. Shaykh Kafani was a prominent creative force in Detroit’s hip-hop scene. He traveled across the world with various groups, performing for audiences in Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States. Shaykh Kafani embraced Islam when he was around twenty-two years old, based on the influence of Muslim friends. After reverting to Islam, Shaykh Kafani traveled to Senegal to deepen his study of Islam and the Qur’an under the tutelage of prominent shaykhs. He earned a diploma from the African American Islamic Institute in Senegal. After returning to the United States, Shaykh Kafani made great efforts to spread the knowledge gained from his travels as a sought-after religious teacher and mentor to Muslims across generations. In his interview, Shaykh Kafani reflects on how he maintains Muslim morality and modesty while participating in the performing arts. He explores the impact that his time in Senegal had on his spiritual development and understanding of the world. Shaykh Kafani also discusses the importance of Detroit’s African and African American Muslim institutions for cultivating spiritually-informed, anti-racist consciousness and practice.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1036/thumbnail.jp