Oral History Interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse on August 8, 2020
Title
Oral History Interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse on August 8, 2020
Creator
Dream Storytelling Project Team
Date
2020
Description
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.
Subject
Acting
African American Islamic Institute (AAII)
African culture
African diaspora
African dress
African-American business leadership
African-American history
African-American Muslims
Alexandria
American culture
Ancestral connection
Anime
Anti-racism activism
The Apollo Theater
Arabic language education
Aretha Franklin Theater
Juan Atkins
Bearing witness
Belleville Three
Bible study
The Black Church
Black Muslim Psychology Conference (BMPC)
Buddhism
Bullying
California
Cambodia
Jermaine Carey
Caribbean
Cass Cafe
Cass Mosque
Cass Technical High School
Catechism
Catholic sacrament
Catholicism
Center for Islamic Knowledge
Chanting in Islam
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Choreography
Church culture
Church of God in Christ (COGIC)
Cipher circle
Shaykh Hassan Cisse
College for Creative Studies
Colorism
John Coltrane
Community development
Community leadership
Comparative religion
Conversion to Islam
Costume design
Mark Crain
Usman dan Fodio
Dance
Dar-ul-Islam Movement
Dashiki
Miles Davis
Deep South
Detroit
The Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Techno
Dhikr
Shea Diamond
Disclosure
Dream of Detroit
Elder respect
Eminem
Europe
Family gathering
Family history
Family reunion
Shaykh Ahmed Tijani Favors
Festival Summer Program
Flint
Formerly incarcerated citizens
Eddie Fowlkes
Friday prayer service
Gaming
The Great Migration
Haji Abdul Hakim
Hardcore Detroit
Hart Plaza
The Hip Hop Shop
Hip-hop music
Historical inaccuracies
Household Finance Company
Imam
Intergenerational relation
International travel
Interracial congregation
Interracial relations
Investment company
Islam
Islam in America
Islam in prison
Islamic Community of As Salaam (ICASMI)
Tablighi Jamaat
Jazz music
Jesus Christ
Joe Louis Arena
Imam Salim Joseph
Louisiana
Martin Luther
Lutheranism
Malaria
Maurice Malone
Marvel Comics
Derrick May
Shaykh Muhammad Adeyinka Mendes
Michigan
Michigan Works
Modeling
Modesty
Thelonious Monk
Morality
Mosque
Muhammad Mel Wanzo Halal Jazz Cafe
Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center
Muslim Americans
Muslims
The Muslim House
Inc
Muslim Mental Health Conference
Muslim unity
Dr. Haleem Naeem
Shaykh al-Hajj Ibrahim Niasse
Nigeria
Northwestern High School
Oppression
Pentecostalism
Performance
Performing arts
Prayer Service
Praying
Prison justice
Prophet Muhammad
Qur'an education
Qur'an memorization
Qur'an recitation
Racism
Religion
Religious education
Religious leadership
Reversion to Islam
The Rhythm Kitchen
Ritual
Saint Timothy Lutheran Church
Malia Kai Salaam
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Senegal
Shahada
Soup kitchen
Southern United States
Spiritual order
Spiritually seeking
Storytelling
Sunday school
Superheroes
Systemic racism
Taoism
Tarrying
Techno dance group
Third Earth Music
University Islamic Center of Detroit
University of Cambridge
University of Michigan
Urban-suburban relations
Vietnam War
Dr. Bilal Ware
Wayne State University
West Africa
White supremacy culture
Dr. Zachary Wright
Shaykh AbdulKarim Yayha
Youth mentorship
African American Studies
Africana Studies
American Studies
Civic and Community Engagement
Community-Based Research
Digital Humanities
Ethics in Religion
Inequality and Stratification
Islamic Studies
Nonprofit Administration and Management
Politics and Social Change
Race and Ethnicity
Urban Studies and Planning
Source
Michigan Service Hub
Relation
Type
text
References
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/39
Collection
Citation
Dream Storytelling Project Team, “Oral History Interview with Shaykh Kafani Ibrahim Cisse on August 8, 2020,” Center for Knit and Crochet Digital Repository, accessed October 16, 2026, https://digital.centerforknitandcrochet.org/items/show/38739.
Added by Rebecca Keyel
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