Mauritania celebrates independence decennial with art

An American artist assisted Mauritanian painters in producing a mural and several other works to mark the country's independence.

By Mohamed Yahya Ould Abdel Wedoud for Magharebia in Nouakchott – 24/11/10

The Mauritanian National Bureau of Museums and the US embassy in Nouakchott are organizing an exhibition to showcase the work of American artist Michelle Cavalcanti and Mauritanian artists to commemorate fifty years of independence and friendly relations with the United States.

The showing began on Monday (November 22nd) at the National Museum in Nouakchott, and will continue until December 14th under the title of "50 years of independence, 50 years of friendship".

"The exhibition, on the one hand, reflects the interest shown by the United States of America in our country's celebration of the 50th Independence Day, and the other hand, it commemorates the fifty years of friendship between Mauritanian and the United States of America," Mauritanian Culture Ministry representative Hadrami Ould Meiddah said.

The display was the result of three consecutive weeks of work where Cavalcanti supervised the training of 22 Mauritanian artists, who contributed to the production of 40 individual paintings and a large collective work of cultural diversity.

"The ties that bind our country and the United States of America are not new, as they extend to include all aspects of economic and social life in general, and cultural life in particular. The embassy has organized many cultural activities, conferences, evening events and concerts, without forgetting the fact that they provided the National Office with some technical equipment to facilitate its work," Ould Meiddah added.

Speaking to Magharebia on the sidelines of the show, Cavalcanti said she was very happy about her experience with the Mauritanian artists.

"It's great to come to Mauritania and join the Mauritanians in their celebrations of the National Independence Day and fifty years of friendship with the United States. I learned a lot about cultural diversity in this country, which I didn't know before. I was lucky to supervise a large wall painting that reflects the cultural diversity in Mauritania."

"The message from the painting is that we have four ethnic groups in Mauritania in harmony with each other, and we have different environments ranging from desert to the river, which means that everyone must play a role in the development of the country and that everyone should live in peace and harmony," Cavalcanti added.

Some artists also expressed their happiness with the exhibition, citing their experiences throughout the training. At the end of the opening ceremony, the Mauritanian artists who participated in the program were awarded gifts, with the presence of significant officials.

"I benefited from a lot of things during this training, which lasted three weeks," said Hamadi Diallo. "I thank the artist and expert Michelle Cavalcanti for her distinctive work and high artistic taste. She was a source of inspiration for all of us."

The presentation attracted many intellectuals, especially those interested in fine arts, who rushed to attend the show in the early hours of the opening.

"The paintings that were exhibited were great, and there is no doubt it will spur other artists to draw many other paintings, which means creating a competitive environment among Mauritanian artists," arts student Isselmou Ould Mohamed told Magharebia.

Ould Mohamed praised the large wall painting representing the cultural diversity, describing it as an "idea leading to the strengthening of national unity".

"It's a live example of the ability of art to gather cultures and melt them all in one crucible of humanity, to live together under the umbrella of peace, which human beings need, particularly nowadays," he said.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/24/feature-02.