Born in 1933, Serigne Ndiame Diakhate served as one of the twenty-eight Murid scholars responsible for reciting the Qur’an daily at the mosque of Diourbel. He worked as a farmer, quranic teacher, and specialist of “xam-xamu baatiin,” the local name for those specialized in esoteric sciences. Ndiame studied the Qur’an and esoteric sciences in the village of Keur Makala founded by his grandfather Khali Madiakhate Kala (1835-1902), the father of Serigne Mbaye Diakhate (1875-1954, the author of several Ajami manuscripts archived at Diourbel) and one of the leading Muslim scholars and jurists of the 19th century.