Desert heritage, resilience, and creativity in the Sahel
Mauritania, where the Sahara meets the Atlantic, is a country of rich traditions, nomadic cultures, and Islamic scholarship. Its landscapes range from sweeping dunes to fishing coasts, but it also faces urgent environmental challenges: desertification, water scarcity, overfishing, and climate change. In this fragile context, Mauritanian artists and cultural groups are weaving sustainability into the arts, drawing on ancestral practices while embracing new eco-creative approaches.
For centuries, Mauritanian communities have practiced eco-conscious creativity:
Nomadic crafts: Handwoven tents, camel saddles, and leatherwork made from renewable animal hides, wool, and natural fibers.
Textiles & embroidery: Women create the traditional melfa and bazin garments, often dyed with plant-based colors.
Wood & metalwork: Artisans craft tools, jewelry, and ornaments using locally available and recycled materials.
Oral poetry & music: Griots (iggiw) preserve history through song and poetry, embedding values of respect for land, water, and survival in the desert.
Architecture: In ancient towns like Chinguetti and Ouadane (UNESCO World Heritage Sites), stone and mudbrick buildings are climate-adaptive, reflecting vernacular sustainability.
These traditions form the cultural foundation of Mauritania’s sustainability arts.
In Nouakchott, artists and youth groups experiment with metal scraps, plastics, and discarded materials to create sculptures and furniture, addressing the country’s growing urban waste problem.
Designers are reinterpreting traditional melfa garments and desert attire with organic cotton, natural dyes, and upcycled fabrics, linking heritage with modern eco-fashion trends.
Mauritania’s unique blend of Arab-Berber and sub-Saharan music traditions is increasingly used to speak about desertification, water scarcity, and migration pressures. Musicians transform ecological struggles into cultural expression.
Grassroots theatre groups perform plays about sustainable pastoralism, water conservation, and resilience in rural and nomadic communities.
Events like the Festival of Nomadic Cultures highlight traditional crafts, music, and eco-friendly practices, bringing together art and sustainability.
Mauritanian griots – using song and poetry to raise awareness about environmental resilience.
Nouakchott-based recycled art collectives – turning waste into urban creativity.
Women’s cooperatives – weaving and dyeing fabrics with natural materials, sustaining both heritage and livelihoods.
Festival of Nomadic Cultures – a platform for showcasing eco-crafts and climate storytelling.
Severe desertification, limiting access to natural resources for crafts.
Water scarcity, threatening livelihoods and traditional production methods.
Economic fragility, reducing investment in eco-art and cultural initiatives.
Limited international exposure, leaving many grassroots eco-art movements invisible globally.
Eco-tourism & culture: Linking eco-arts with Mauritania’s UNESCO desert cities and nomadic festivals.
Youth empowerment: Schools and cultural centers can promote eco-art as a way to address climate challenges.
Regional collaboration: Mauritania could join Sahel eco-arts networks (Mali, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso) to amplify desert voices.
Global partnerships: Eco-fashion and recycled art could connect Mauritanian creators to sustainable design markets abroad.
In Mauritania, sustainability in the arts is both a survival strategy and a cultural renaissance. From desert poetry and handwoven textiles to recycled urban sculptures and climate-themed music, artists are turning ecological hardship into creative resilience. As the Sahara expands and climate pressures grow, Mauritania’s arts sector offers a vital bridge between nomadic heritage and sustainable futures.