P’tites Annonces · MauritanieMauritania

COUNTRY

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Mauritania connects the Sahara, the Atlantic coast and the Senegal River valley. Pastoral societies, towns and southern communities have diverse languages and practices. Chinguetti and other former caravan centres preserve architecture adapted to the desert as well as manuscript traditions. Libraries demonstrate the movement of knowledge beyond the familiar image of caravans carrying merchandise alone. Poetry and music transmitted by specialist performers have a place in several cultural settings. Tents, textiles and crafts also express knowledge associated with movement and dwelling. Preparing tea creates a period for conversation, with gestures and successive servings whose customs vary. Couscous, meat, rice and fish enter different meals according to regional resources. Along the coast, marine products have particular importance; in the river valley, grains and agricultural crops enrich preparations. Sharing dishes therefore gives an everyday form to relationships between environments and communities. These distinctions help convey a country whose desert heritage is significant but does not encompass all the experiences of its inhabitants.