Art Moves Africa – Retracing Roots and Tracing New Routes: Mobility and Touring in North Africa

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Country-Specific Information
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GENERAL INFORMATION
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Mauritania is located at the hinge of North and
West Africa. With 90 % of the territory lying within
the desert, the vast majority of the population
lives along the southern coast. The capital and
largest city is Nouakchott, home to one-third of
the country’s population.
Mauritania is an eminently multiethnic
country, although strife has tainted the formation
of a peacefully pluralistic society. The country’s
demographics today are made up of three
main groups: Bidhans of Arab-Berber origin; the
Haratin, descendants of former slaves, also
Arabic speakers; and people of West African
descent, among them Soninke, Bambara and
Wolof. Arabic is the official language of Mauritania,
with Hassaniya the local spoken dialect.
French is used in the media and educated classes.
English is making inroads. Social hierarchization
based on skin colour and ethnicity is strong,
with black Haratin assigned to the lowest caste.
While Mauritania abolished slavery in 1981 (the
last country in the world to do so), the practice
is still in place. Ethnic discord and slavery were
at the heart of the Mauritania-Senegal Border
War of 1989 and continue to permeate political
discourse in the country.
Mauritania has been rocked by a series of
coups or attempted coups since independence
from France in 1960. A series of military rulers
succeeded one another between 1978 and 2005.
After a transitional government was instituted in
2007, General Abdel Aziz seized power in 2008.
He was elected in 2009 through an irregular
election process. He is currently president.
Mauritania is one of the poorest countries
in the world, despite important natural resources.
Droughts, most notably the Great Sahel droughts
of the early 1970s, have devastated the country.
According to Freedom House, the country is not
free. While the government has adopted laws to
address the problem of institutionalized slavery
and discrimination, it continues to arrest antislavery
activists.
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In February 2011, the Arab Spring spread to
Mauritania, with thousands of people taking
to the streets to denounce slavery, corruption
and human rights abuses. The protests did not
generate full-scale revolution or reform.
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ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR
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The arts and culture sector in Mauritania is precarious
but dynamic, borne by dedicated artists
and activists working without official support.
The Ministry of Culture has the capacity to offer
project support. However, most of the budget
is allocated to festivals, which respondents say
are essentially showcases for the Ministry. The
modern-traditional divide still figures strongly in
discussions of art and culture, but cultural actors
are working to bridge art forms and audiences.
Dominated by oral cultures, Mauritania
is most closely associated with the music of the
Amazigh griots. As nomadic memory-keepers,
they traditionally traveled through the desert to
share their music and stories. The droughts and
political upheavals of the 1970s irremediably impacted
these traditional modes of creation and
transmission, forcing nomadic peoples into the
cities and subsequently repressing their forms of
expression. Today, traditional musicians belong to
the lowest social caste and are only able to monetize
their creative work through performances
at weddings. Organized by Mauritanian-Canadian
Atigh Ould and hosted annually or bi-annually
outside Nouakchott, the Festival Nomade creates
a platform for traditional musicians to share their
music with local and international audiences,
who come from Europe, Canada and across
Africa. Moreover, the internationally known singer
Maalouma has recently opened a foundation,
funded by AFAC and the Ministry of Culture,
which offers a studio and recording space.
Nouakchott is home to a dynamic hiphop
scene. It is celebrated every year at the
massive Festival Assalamalekoum, which has
been known to draw audiences of up to 15.000.
Performance spaces in Nouakchott are rare,