Yonta Hande - Njellu I take a taxi to "Seizieme" -- the sixth district. Nouakchott is divided up into neighborhoods, and this is one of the earlier nomenclatures before things got weird. The new suburbs have names like Basra and Falluja, inspired by the affinity for Arabic satellite TV channels.…
Hamadt Ka is one of Nouakchott's crop of modern singer/songwriters. He lives in Basra, between the town and the sea. The sand streets are quiet and the houses are staggered. Many of the residents are Pulaar and Wolof, having left the cramped transient quarters of Cinquieme to build in a…
Along the border of Senegal and Mauritanian, one finds the ancient kingdom of Fouta Toro - meandering rivers and wide floodplains, covered in scrubby forest and dust, and occasional green patches of irrigated rice and millet. The Isle of Morfil, named for the elephants which have long since vanished, lies…
The Peuls are group of historically pastoral people stretching from the Senegal to Cameroon. But the Pulaar culture in Mauritanian is distinctly that of the Senegalese River that defines the border between the two countries. The music of "le fleuve" has been commercially popularized by Baba Maal, and he has…
A wedding in cinquieme, held under a tent, in one of the numerous sand courtyards in the neighborhood. You can't not be a spectator. There is an electric guitar and a dozen hand drums, as well as a griot singer. soninke weddingLater that night, the wedding moves indoors. I stand…