West African Countries Fighting To Keep Their Traditions Alive: Part 1 | Today In Africa | TRACKS

of all of West Africa Senegal is perhaps the country that has been most affected by the environmental changes which are impacting on our oceans subjected to the Wrath Mother Nature is unleashing on us the seafaring people have a dilemma to face should they take to the Open Seas or stay put why go and kill yourself looking for work elsewhere wherever there is water sunshine and the strength to work there is a chance for development I'm gonna from the Meandering Saloon River to the banks of the Pink Lake armed only with their courage these men and women are fighting to protect their Homeland they are the Sentinels of Senegal posted like a lookout at the river mouth and battered by the ocean waves San Luis gazes out over the Atlantic protective of its former glory [Music] fight her Bridge built at the end of the 19th century Bears witness to a time when San Luis reigned over the African colonies it was a major trading post Gum arabic passed through here in transit before being shipped to Europe [Music] then the goal gained end up in 1960. Dakar became the capital and the island of San Luis gradually fell into a state of slumber this city radiates an old-fashioned charm which is perhaps less due to its architectural Heritage than to the people of San Luis themselves with some grease on it deliver some oil clean it May safile is 54. assisted by his son Petty Jean he runs a bicycle repair shop in San Luis you need to have a love of cleaning bicycles it's important to love what you do that's why you need to caress them how do you caress them you'll end up loving them you must love what you do it's part of the job don't worry yeah misophile is a mechanic but he's so much more than that wall often French speaking a sculptor and a poet he is a local celebrity in San Luis I landed on this island of Saint Louis in a boat beautiful boat was my mother and it's handsome Skipper was my father he was a bicycle repairer like his father and he passed the skill on to me on this island of Saint Louis where I've only ever been surrounded by bicycles I spent the days when there was no school at the workshop because I was a very disruptive child and my old man didn't want me playing with the others and doing any damage so I stayed by his side and after every repair he gave me a rag and said Mesa clean this bicycle so I did I made quick work of the cleaning because my friends were nearby and I wanted to go and play with them and I'd say Dad come and see it's clean and he'd say look at the chain the gears the cogs the spokes and the Hub that needs a good clean too my sir I hated the object I was cleaning I transformed it in my mind's eye because it was stopping me from going out to play with the others I turned it into a bird or a person we rarely got any customers because when I repair a bicycle should I do it in such a way that the customer's not going to be coming back in a hurry the days passed the saying goes that when you have nothing to do you make art since I had stored up all those images in my head from when I was a little kid I thought why not do something with them and that is how it started [Music] armed with a supply of Parts accumulated over three generations Mesa heads off to his welding Workshop to produce a new work of art that he plans to install in the city center foreign [Music] [Music] there is the river the sea the buildings and the people everything in Saint Louis inspires me foreign Ty is at risk because there's an anarchy here people are building any old house a lot of houses have been abandoned because their owners are now in the car but thankfully there are buildings such as the photography museum which have been nicely renovated yeah it's a very pretty building I love these red bricks they were made in bakucho there was a kiln there where they made these bricks then they were transported here by boat they were bought here to build these beautiful houses this is an example of how if the houses are renovated nicely like this one the town would regain its Splendor of old [Music] [Music] I see a guardian of the temple a sentinel of our heritage informing people about these beautiful buildings that we risk losing in this city of Saint Louis I'm telling them to be careful not to destroy the Legacy of our grandparents the beautiful city of San Luis has two faces on its Island situated in the middle of the Senegal River the Old Colonial Town dreams of its former glory opposite wedged in between the river and the ocean is one of the most densely populated places in Senegal yet the fisherman's quarter [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] come on would go get down if you're finished push it push it into the water [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] that perog is going to Mauritania it's going to Mauritania to look for fish there are no fish here anymore fish is expensive now at the shipyard in ghetto Mr Diop is hard at work since retiring this form of fisherman has branched out into decorating pierogues foreign have you nearly finished almost write the name of my mother on it all right whenever I've named a boat after my mother it's brought me luck and I've had good catches I've called all my boats ever since I've just come back from Mauritania where the fishing boats are all painted specific colors but I'm back now and tomorrow I'm going fishing so I'm getting my boat repainted with the colors from home whenever you see a pierog with a pattern on it like this you know it comes from Saint Louis is the arches of the feder bridge which is our emblem the great painting means happiness kidney that's the fisherman returning home to rest he's happy he's made enough money to feed himself and his family it represents happiness and money it's done you can climb aboard when I finished the job I like to see the reaction of the owner to find out whether he's happy with my work that gives me pleasure then I know I've done a good job there are lots of motifs that are specific to Saint Louis I'm keeping the tradition alive just as our ancestors did but unfortunately there's a lot less work now than they used to be I was born here and when I was a child the river was my playground there used to be a big gap between the river and the Sea it took ages to cross on foot but today the sea is advancing fast and ravaging everything when the sea destroys the fisherman's houses they can't afford my services anymore you know Mr day off has good reason to worry [Music] get Dar and its inhabitants are seriously threatened by global warming and the inexorable rise of the sea level [Music] season after season tide after tide the Atlantic Ocean is devouring the coastline and terrorizing the inhabitants of get down greedy waves carried away dozens more houses leaving their inhabitants distraught and homeless every year the Atlantic Ocean becomes more voracious and human Endeavors to save the area don't stand a chance [Music] the environmental threat hanging over Senegal can be explained by its geography situated in the heart of West Africa Senegal covers an area of about two hundred thousand square kilometers less than half the surface area of France bordered on the whole of its West Side by the Atlantic Ocean Senegal is above all a country of fishermen and most of the population is concentrated along the coastline Doula people from castlemont in the South Sarah people in the center and Wall of people in the north are all subjected to the Caprices of nature which is retaliating blow for blow what it has suffered at the hands of humans [Music] are heading out to haul in the Nets like they do every day [Music] come on pull pull faster faster we're fishing for Seoul Seoul is pretty much all there is at the moment but it's it's not a good catch we should have landed more fish than that I've been fishing since 1982 and my son was practically born at sea it's hard work and there are lots of accidents it's not easy working here the sea is becoming more and more violent climate change isn't the only reason for the increasingly rough Seas of the Atlantic Ocean the longer Barbary this long sand Bank on which geddar is built in the past stretched for several dozen kilometers South forming a ramp out against the ocean but in 2003 to protect San Louis from flooding from the Senegal River the authorities dug a four meter wide breach in the sandbank unintentionally opening up the Pandora's Box today the breach measures seven kilometers and is widening day by day this environmental disaster has proved to be a life sentence for Papa means Village situated opposite the same tidal wave that carried away part of get da also devastated his house ever since Pap and the 22 people who depend on him have been camping in his garden it was sunset a wave came and destroyed the wall it swept through the house and destroyed all the rooms there was nothing we could do we had to leave we were lent another house all the neighbors came to help us get our things out they're doing a very difficult time for us these freak waves started coming last year the sea destroyed our house the first time we rebuilt it then it happened again this year very worried because if it happens again we won't be able to carry on repairing the house forever every evening at seven o'clock we move out we don't sleep here anymore so because we're too scared of the sea tonight like every other night paplamine and his family are leaving their house to go and spend the night with friends far away from the coast foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign that's why I've made this piece this River Sentinel tell people to be vigilant the way it comes like this Sentinel on the banks of the Senegal River enough for me an artist is someone who reflects on things for himself for his town this country for Africa for the whole world that's what it means to me played my part no before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean in San Luis the Senegal River irrigates the plains in the north of the country and marks out the border with the mauritanian desert nourishing Waters serve as a sanctuary for widgeons and flamingos and provide an oasis in the middle of the sahelian desert San Luis in the river mouth marked the northern limit of the ground cut along this 150 kilometer stretch of Coastline the same problems of coastal erosion and overfishing recur at the other end of the country is the city of Dhaka and the Cape Verde Peninsula a conglomeration of three million inhabitants that's a lot of mouths to feed for the men and women of Kaya Senegal's largest fishing port [Music] it is eight o'clock AM the progues head out passing those returning from fishing trips which have lasted all night or even several days eliman is a child of KR he is the son of a fisherman and a fisherman himself returning from a knighted sea he Endeavors to make ends meet by helping to unload the fish like hundreds of other youngsters from KR I empty it from this side hurry up I'd like to see where I spent my childhood we spent all our time playing on the beach it was our playground when the perox came in they were full of fish but in 2006 the Senegalese government signed a fishing agreement with the Europeans big trawlers came here to fish and they took everything we used to fish two or three kilometers from the shore now we have to go much further and there are no fish left plus the population here has increased a lot before they were only 200 to 300 perox now there are 6 000 here in Kaya everything has become more expensive harder to come by and more complicated the young people have started to emigrate we went up to San Luis where appear was about to set sail we boarded it but it got damaged off the coast of Mauritania so we disembarked there and came home and I made a second attempt and that time I managed to get as far as Tenerife the Spanish put us in Immigration centers but we were sent home by the Senegalese government if I get another chance to emigrate I'm going to take it because I've been fishing for 28 years now and I can't make a decent living out of it an ocean which no longer nourishes people but which people brave because it brings hope of a better life every year hundreds more join The Exodus they leave KR risking their lives to see what lies on the other side of the horizon [Music] thank you [Music] periods of celebrations such as Ramadan place an extra financial burden on the people of KR in this mostly wall of region members of the Muslim Brotherhood Bai foul Go Round The Streets begging for arms as a sign of humility and solidarity with the poorest this cult that is close to Sufism Advocates indifference to all material possessions a biophile ceremony is organized every Thursday at elliemann's house hello everyone how are you how are you my brother you're already dressed he wasn't bad today but there were no fish I'm gonna get ready for the ceremony everything after his second attempt to emigrate element's wife left with his two children he finds comfort in his family and the solidarity of the bifoul Brotherhood I'm sure where's your black and white robe here put this on there now she has a rosary TomTom not all at once gently gently [Music] [Applause] being by file gives me a certain sense of well-being I'm happy to be by foul being by foul means I can put up with a lot it teaches you patience means being tolerant we don't have much but we try to be happy with what we have it's another dimension to life [Music] foreign should they hold out and stay in Senegal or leave intent fate Ellie Mann and his friend galgoo who lost his leg in a fishing accident ought torn between these two choices to discuss it they are meeting with a very special woman [Music] she was the first woman in her Village to earn a living from fishing and she fights a constant battle with this clandestine migration which claimed her only child along with 80 of his friends took a boat to Europe in search of some human dignity his hope evaporated along with mine one is because he was lost at sea it was difficult it was very hard for me The Disappearance of my son was a trigger for me we need credible Alternatives if we are to keep our young people in our country that's when I decided we needed to create economic opportunities for these youngsters had no income after her son died so aged over 50 she learned to fish she then went on to set up a fish farm today she employs young people and teaches them about sustainable fishing hello everyone how are you madam well thanks what's your name oh yes I've heard of you you're like a big sister to us and that's a really good thing people say that what leads you into the darkness can also teach you how to come out the other side yes I held a session to raise awareness in schools I asked one pupil do you know the see they're called Mediterranean and he said yes that's where our parents go to die imagine a child growing up with such an idea that the Mediterranean is no longer a bridge between Africa and Europe but rather a human cemetery is a tragedy a real tragedy we have to stop now and rethink Things We must believe in ourselves in our country why risk death to seek work elsewhere these people in Europe are not extraordinary they are no clever than we are they are just better organized look at all the fish processing plants here they're all run by foreigners we go out to sea and do all the hard work we bring in our catch and then we flog it to them they process it and Export it I bring back a product but that's not enough I need to add value to it so I can sell it for a higher price wherever there is water sunshine and the strength to work there can be development oh a dialogue has opened up between this woman who brings a message of Hope and the fisherman about the survival of the fishing industry in KR in this changing World rather than leave their country lots of fishermen have chosen to migrate to the South and the petite cut which starts in Dakar and extends as far as the saloon River delta [Music] beyond that and up to the border with Gambia never-ending ocean inlets wind their way inland foreign [Music] covers 180 000 hectares of land and water broken up into thousands of Sandy Islands it's a maze of mangrove swamps and belongs these Meandering ocean inlets have for thousands of years been home to the nyoming kasarea people otherwise known as the sarare Delta people [Music] has spent her whole life in the Delta every day she and a group of friends wait for low tide to go and harvest oysters which they sell for a living [Music] about it anymore [Music] foreign there are no oysters left to reproduce so now we take a knife and cut them off gently one by one it's important that our children and grandchildren can do as our mothers did and as we're doing and continue to make a living here we destroy the lot what would they find here must preserve it once they've been boiled shucked and dried the oysters will be consumed on the spot or sold at the market by mariama's friends for thousands of years shellfish have been at the heart of Sarah culture their consumption by dozens of consecutive generations and the tons of shells produced by these eating habits have led to a transformation of the landscape of the saloon Delta this artificial Island emerging from The Mangrove swamp is in fact a giant pile of shells 12 hectares wide on which Baobab trees have sprung up piles of shells such as this one served as burial grounds for the sarare people up until the last century mariama comes here regularly to pray this island has been here for thousands of years it's a very important place in Sarah culture all these shells are here is that the Delta people made a living from fishing for mussels shellfish and oysters there are also shells from the fruits The Baobab trees all these shells served as burial mounds or tombs for our ancestors all their possessions were placed in their tombs with them they were buried with all their belongings for example their bracelets and pieces of pottery sometimes even bones this is where people come to pray for their ancestors it's a religious place a place of prayer it's a very sacred place for us [Music] mariama has finished praying and hurries home to the Village of Bamboo Garden foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] together with his staff his coach and his training partner [Music] foreign works as a farmer for the rest of the year but during the dry season he makes a living as a wrestler he and his team cross the region going from fight to fight finding lodgings wherever they can continue you can leave your luggage here here hold it like this aliu has just won the last two tournaments and he has a fight tomorrow on the outskirts of bamboo right it's ready I'll put that there mariama is married but she has chosen to live alone with her children and grandchildren it's an unusual situation in Syria Society where the men many of whom are polygamous are traditionally the head of the family lower your gaze in front of the adults and stop making a pig of yourself eat properly my husband and his two wives live in their big house but I live in my house I'm unusual because I am submissive but not overly submissive how are you feeling about tomorrow's fight God willing I've done all I had to do do you plan to train on the day of the match yes tomorrow I'll train before the match I need to warm up my muscles otherwise I'll make a wrong move small errors happen when you don't warm up properly [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] stay on the line stay on the line we've done enough stretching and endurance work let's work on your contacts go on pick up the pace hello that's it the Sydney Saloon region is the birthplace of senegalese wrestling the wrestlers tried to floor their adversary in other words to make him fall onto his hands and knees or to force his head his back or his bottom to touch the ground you need to attack and ilu you need to be tougher in traditional wrestling blows are forbidden what separates the wrestlers is strength weight and endurance I chose this book because I'm Sarah come on wrestling is in our tradition that's why I started doing it and I've made a success of it that's important to me because I'm a father you can win sacks of rice and money I take all that home with me to help my family I want to be a great champion I think I have the size and the strength to be successful in the arena it's my dream to become a professional Senegalese wrestler foreign the champions of senegalese wrestling often have a background in traditional wrestling like ALU their status in Senegal is akin to that of our football stars their preparation is Mystical as well as physical with the inevitable visit from the village Marabou before the match [Music] hello hello master we've come to ask for your blessing for the coming fight where will the fight take place it will take place in the village of liran where today you brought me luck for my last fight I beat my adversary in the village thank you for that we have great confidence in you it is I who should thank you for your financial contribution to the construction of our mosque we are here to help foreign [Applause] is someone who resists people with the help of the Surah in the Quran can't just go off and fight he must be protected from bad luck I'm going to pray for him and give him some purified water with the Quran that will help him I'm also going to give him some charms to make him stronger the Marabou has written down some Surah and Angels names on a piece of paper he then folds it to make a charm or talisman he also gives aliu bottles of water purified by the Quran and mixed with roots aliu will take what is known as a mystical bath in it later in Senegal marabus are both spiritual guides and medicine men [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign this evening the man put on a show of Bravery cheered on by local women dressed in their finery and griot singing a Litany of praises the fight started at around midnight the final will be held at about three in the morning aliu because he won his two previous trophies is already through to the quarterfinals in his heavyweight category the winner of tonight's tournament will win two counts it is the best prize a farmer can get the fight can last for two rounds of 10 minutes and can go into extra time after which it will be decided on points awarded by the referee [Music] [Music] I'll use adversary has just blinded him that's a foul which will cost him the match after the regulation time [Music] aliu has won on points that means he is through to the semi-finals and will be up against an adversary who is much heavier than him a mountain of muscles in full mystical preparation mode [Music] thank you [Music] yeah I pushed him with all my might but he wrong footed me he toppled me thanks to his weight and I fell to the ground obviously it hurts to lose but that's the law of sport there has to be a winner and a loser I'm gonna carry on training come on I'll carry on the fight the rainy season is approaching soon alio will return to the fields [Music] the fight will begin to extract enough from nature to feed his family it's the common fate of so many Senegalese people whether they are farmers fishermen or salt miners in Palmera in Northern Saloon [Music] the changing colors are created by cyanobacteria microscopic organisms which produce a pigment to help them survive the presence of salt [Music] the biggest of these Senegalese salt mines are situated north of Dakar Lake retbur better known as lacros or Pink Lake [Music] foreign [Music] has been doing the painful job of salt scraping for the past 20 years every day he goes out onto the lake to load up his boat while his wife helped by a friend unloads the boat he filled up yesterday [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] more movements I make the white of the Salters I am the only local man still working on the lake a lot of immigrants come here from Mali or guinea to work nobody the Senegalese don't want to put their feet in the lake to extract salt the crystals cut your skin it burns and leaves scars you can't work here without suffering the consequences the day seems interminable under the burning Sun Usman will carry on until he has filled his boat up to the water line the salt I've just unloaded will give us enough to survive on for two days I say survive because if I buy enough food to live well it will only last one day I used to be a farmer for a long time I grew Millet and rice but then the drought came and farming wasn't lucrative enough anymore so I had to look for something else I said so I became a weaver but because of competition the price of cloth plummeted so then I decided to come to lacros to be a salt scraper this lake has brought me luck well I love it because I had nothing when I came here I found work here I met my wife and started a family here I've done many things in the past that haven't always worked out this place has allowed me to earn a living Usman goes home to his wife and children tomorrow he will resume uncomplainingly what others call slave labor and what he simply calls earning a living it's a daily lesson in resilience and Courage by the last Senegalese salt scraper of lacros in a world that is in a state of flux Usman and all the Sentinels of the water are holding out and fighting for the survival of their heritage [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] between the vast wildernesses of the Atlantic and the Sahara Mauritania was born of sand and wind in order to survive there people became Nomads it's a tough way of life which has forged the identity of a Nation the nomadic way of life is disappearing in Mauritania but I want to remain in the desert until the day I die wise men and women are still passing on their knowledge of the desert and its Traditions they are the Sentinels of Mauritania [Music] times have changed a nomadism has almost disappeared around the world humans have become largely settled a quarter of the 4.5 million inhabitants of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania live in the capital Newark shot Newark shot sprung out of nowhere emerging from the sand in the 1950s to cater for French settlers after independence in 1960 the city mushroomed thanks to the waves of drought and resultant rural Exodus of thousands of Nomads the bricks and concrete which Now cover the sand have not killed the nomadic soul of the mauritanians at the German dairy market the Roar of automobiles is drowned out by The Cry of the animals [Music] and further away that Newark shot's fishing port the clamor of the sailors sounds like an invitation to travel [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] everybody [Music] age 25 has no job or qualifications we must rely on the strength in his arms and his unwavering determination to get by [Music] [Applause] e to make a living here my technique is to go to meet the fishermen and to give them a helping hand in the hope that they will give me something in return foreign very few people have any qualifications and there's a lot of unemployment so people look for odd jobs luckily Allah has opened my eyes and now I think I can make a living as a fisherman I come here every day to try to learn the ropes but I must admit it's not easy when you don't know anyone foreign people apparently they spend their whole life at Sea and are excellent fishermen I'm curious to know how these people live so I've decided to head north today to try to learn some of their secrets a nation imbued with the Muslim faith and the traditions of the desert to understand what makes mauritanians tick you need to look to their history and geography situated in both North and West Africa Mauritania is three-quarters desert and one and a half times the size of France its population is a cross between local animus tribes Muslim berbas originally from North Africa and Benny Hassan Warriors who cross the Sahara from Arabia most of that population which is 99 Muslim now lives on the Atlantic coast north of Newark shot covering an area of 12 000 square kilometers the bank dagar national park offers board and lodging to migratory Birds this Sandy Universe with its wind swept Mudflats is home to the Imran people this strange Society geographically and culturally cut off from the rest of Mauritania is based entirely around the Sea The Immigrant people have become hardened sand Sailors and understand the Caprices of the Atlantic better than anyone all right [Music] as rugged as the desert they have learned to survive in the Immigrant people are known to integrate anyone willing to learn their ways into their Community the saying goes that you aren't born him again you become it that means a chance for Hamada our Apprentice fisherman from Newark shot to learn a new profession foreign people live in bang Daga spread over eight rudimentary villages Hamada has been told that the chief of Eric Village is an old fisherman called Noor hello hello how are you fine and you I'm fine thank you you're in good health yes thank God what are you doing here well I'd like to learn how to be a fisherman do you want to learn we can't integrate you into our society without getting to know you first you might be a thief or you might have problems we don't know about no I have no problems I just want to learn how to fish yeah I was told you're a good teacher and you have a lot of experience of the sea all right all right teaching you is not a problem but first we need to see how you ferrets see and if you're honest I won't disappoint you the Nets and then we'll see about the rest that's the best way to learn well we need to finish holding in the net and then and after that we load it onto the truck go on make sure it's properly untangled without any further formalities Hamada joins the imra again people anxious to prove himself under the watchful eye of old Noah fishing is at the center of every concern here every activity the immigration people spend all their time on land repairing materials and getting the boats ready what are you doing we're repairing the sail it's called a pint where does the cloth come from we buy the cloth in New York chot and then we bring it here we give it to the women because they're the ones who did the sewing next we're going to raise the Mast you're gonna help us [Music] Noah has set up camp a few hundred meters from the village he lives there with his four children and his wife who is in charge of preparing the fish The Immigrant people sell most of their fish to fish Merchants from new ax shot the rest forms the bases of their diet in this totally arid environment welcome Hamada you can sleep in my tent for a while what do you know about fishing I've never been allowed on board a boat I haven't been to Sea yet let's start with that God willing tomorrow you will set sail with salic there he'll show you a few navigation techniques excuse is select the skipper yeah he's in charge of the crew he's also my nephew if you get on okay I'll teach you other things afterwards God willing [Music] thank you foreign [Music] ER owns two large sailing boats these boats are typical of the bong Daga region he has entrusted one of his fishing boats to his nephew select who is going to take Hamada under his wing today the old man accompanied by his eldest son will oversee proceedings on the second launch [Music] we need to straighten up the mast [Music] how do you steer ing watch everything I do it's not complicated you'll see these launches were brought to Mauritania by the Spanish then they were handed down to us our ancestors the sails and the shape of the hull have been adapted to our sailing needs how easy they are to control that's important for inching our way between the sandbanks come closer and take that out push it towards me that's good look straight ahead now put the tiller in the middle pull it towards you oh sure and you're feeling how the wind Direction's changed now it's coming from the other side so push it towards me try to follow the lunge in front yeah and put it towards you if you want to go straight ahead look over there those are sand banks you would definitely get stranded on them you can wait hours for the tide to come back in so those are the famous sandbanks destroy not the tiller okay pull it towards you all right I'm gonna need to take over here foreign the channel is nicely marked out for us is like a Tarmac road but if you go outside it you've had it foreign just sit there doing nothing go front and haul in the Nets go on hold it in Hamada try to pull more evenly you're here to work untangle it as you pull what sort of fish is that that's tuna oh not too today's been a good day we've caught a lot of fish there's nearly holding the Whole Net Hamada you've worked hard today what length of net have we holding no that's 150 meters long oh they put the fish in the hold on that's not bad at all foreign properly wait I'll help you hello isn't easy you start young you're taken out on a boat to teach you to swim you're thrown into the water several times you're made to hauling Nets and taught how to maneuver the boat it's hard work but one day you finish learning and you can pass your knowledge On to the Next Generation nor is like a father to me I met him when I was a small boy taught me some fishing techniques and I continue to consult him today because there's still a lot more he can teach me who is this young man it's me Hamada the star fisherman he's still got a lot to learn don't throw me in the sea yet I can't swim give me a bit more time in one day with the immigrain people Hamada has learned more than in the past few months at New York shot port this arid looking Outpost might just represent a new departure for him [Music] foreign I've been very touched by the warm welcome The Immigrant people have extended to me they've opened their doors to me and agreed to teach me their skills which might allow me to make a living so I'm going to stay here for a while why not okay he might change the course of my life The Immigrant people have realized that integrating Outsiders into their Community is essential to the survival of their Traditions here and in the rest of Mauritania passing on these Traditions is the only way for this culture to be kept alive as you travel Inland to the east the Atlantic Coastline gives way to Sandy Plains and mountain ranges in the center of the country is the adrah region the Stony landscape dotted with the odd Oasis providing stopovers for mauritania's last nomads [Music] [Applause] [Music] a draw's nomadic Shepherds cross the desert tirelessly in search of pastures the goats and dromedaries they breed for meat and milk are their only currency [Music] Uber is the father of this family the youngest child is 17 year old dada go slowly Dada the animals have heavy loads we need to find an easy path for the dromedaries to tread yes okay Father which way should I go to the other side of the dune the kids can stay behind we'll come back for them once we've set up camp don't get separated from us wait for your father to tell you which way to go okay in the desert we use the mountains or the shape of the dunes to find our bearings or else we use landmarks passed on To Us by Word of Mouth I only know where the good pastures are and the watering places because my father has given me a map but the map isn't written down on paper it's in my head it's a mental map that he has made me learn it's passed down from one generation to another foreign [Music] this is a good spot [Music] that was a long day aren't you tired when we get to a camp first we unload the dramatures then we find some ground for them to graze on and tie them up next we light a fire put up the tent and start preparing dinner careful father don't approach the Dromedary from behind he'll kick you die the drummer der is up quite tight otherwise they might wander off too far we've chosen a campsite where the sand is soft enough to hammer in our pegs also one which is nicely sheltered from the wind is rapping like the fire I want my cup of tea hey come on do you think Dada can win the camel race there will be a lot of competition you know but Dada is an excellent camel driver he has a good chance of winning why not do some divining in the sand to find out there's no harm in trying to imagine I can see a yellow Dromedary and it's going to overtake data fish what are you talking about no I think Dada is going to come second my Dada is going to come first number one no one can beat sun is the best camel driver no mother Dada is going to come second not first we'll see about that we'll see you've spoiled dead or rotten you won't even let him ride his dromedaries is that what you think I'm telling you he could wrestle a Dromedary to the ground causing andromedary to drop To The Ground by pulling its tail is a way for young Nomads like dead are to prove their strength and courage it's a Rite of Passage to adulthood that looks a bit like a desert Rodeo and the women come and assist [Music] that's it catch it and hold on tight well done son that's enough I'm going to tie it up again go on Dada you can do it I'm not moving may Allah Grant you a long life everyone is waiting this is a test for you no I can't do it I don't want to [Music] [Applause] stop I've had enough he's had me running in all directions I must have run 20 kilometers once the chores have been done and the evening meal is over it's time for stories and poems poetry sparring matches are one of the oldest Nomad Traditions it's a form of mental gymnastics that Yuba and his children indulge in whenever they get the chance praise be to Allah who presents my eyes with the stunning beauty of my country is I haven't forgotten the greenness of your pastures in Autumn or the sweet scent of the fresh grass that the Beast graze on around our scattered encampments there is no more beautiful sight than the sky set Ablaze on the mountaintops The North Wind pushes the lamb towards its mother a cup of tea warms the old man's hands the young gather to exchange the melody of words poems from yesteryear and today oh the journey to my parents I've stayed in a tar too long I will walk for days weeks evenings to be sure of seeing them again my soul is heavy but I press on the end of the night here is where my parents await my return oh was he popular poetry occupies a big place in our traditions we're trying to outdo one another with poems of Praise or Nostalgia this is said to be the country of four million poets foreign to the big cities our young people are waiting for just one thing to save up enough money to buy a car so that they can go and shut themselves behind four walls that's what I see and what I feel what as long as my parents are alive I will stay with them but if one day they are no longer here I don't know what God will have in store for me mediation I don't know I don't know I want to stay in the desert until the day I die the best moments in life are spent here beside a log [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] all these names recited by the nomads in their poetry correspond to places it's a list of oases that they memorize like a map leading to the one treasure to be found in the desert water tongard is one of the biggest Palm Grove Oasis on the Adra plateau I can't wait to get to get to dad we'll be able to buy Millet and seeds we need to stock up first we'll give the animals a drink and replenish our water supplies foreign skins we need to fill everything up the next well is a long way away did you hear fill everything up yes carrying water is never a burden in the desert because if you run out you suffer if you finish filling those up go to the Village to sell a sheep I need money to buy provisions [Music] with its Stone houses interspersed here and there with a few traditional tents tungard Village has witnessed the gradual settling of Moorish people foreign have themselves become semi-nomadic they follow the Rings for several months a year and settle in the summer near two Oasis such as this one so as to be close to the Wells as well as being a place to replenish supplies Oasis are also trading posts for Nomads and today Uber has gone in search of an old acquaintance darveda the chief of Tunga where have you traveled from miles away a village called boabul we've just arrived and I need to buy some food in exchange I'm selling this sheep I'll give you 14 000 for it that's out of the quest how much will you sell it for me then are you kidding me tell me how much then you're no longer my friend all right I get it there [Applause] yeah I'm there take your money thank you and goodbye Davida the chief of Tongan is also a farmer he owns several hectares of land in the neighboring Palm Grove in the shade of the date palms da and his men have planted barley and carrots it's an island of green in the middle of the sand [Music] foreign that's the most happiness I can have in life because it's rain water that causes the groundwater to swell ing and that water supply allows us to water our plants and keeps the Oasis alive [Music] thank you [Music] Mohammed lemon are you all right up there yeah clam's not too difficult no it's fine the Palm Grove used to extend much further on the other side but since the desert has advanced it's grown much smaller desert is continually advancing it's smothering the palm trees and the Palm Grove is dying you're trying to find solutions to Halt the dunes by planting trees let us curve the advance of the desert a bit yeah I am not the only guardian of this Oasis all the people who work here take up their shovel or their pickaxe to help protect the Palm growth this is the legacy of my ancestors I don't intend to abandon it it's the only home I have by preserving this Palm Grove darveda and The Villages of tomgard are also protecting a watering hole that is indispensable to the survival of Nomads on the Adra plateau one such tradition is the camel race this custom like everything to do with nomadism is gradually becoming obsolete except in toong guard where David has managed to assemble a group of local camel drivers today there are nine camel drivers on the starting line didda is the youngest but also the lightest his big brother has also decided to take part [Music] deda and his brother are well placed they help one another and zigzag in and out to close the gap on their competitors [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yeah the course is about two kilometers long by the halfway mark dedar has already taken a comfortable lead [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] all is well [Music] [Applause] [Music] something wrong no everything's fine [Music] reminds me of the good old days one of my friends were no longer with us [Music] the atmosphere the shouting all the people who were there it stirred something in my memory which has been dormant camel race used to be a very important event people would come from all over the Sahara to take part these are not what they used to be sadly cars have replaced the dromedaries I'm very proud of my son it represents me and he respects me he came to the desert to keep me company in my final years I pray to Allah to grant me enough time on this Earth to be able to pass all my knowledge onto him [Music] passing on Traditions while there's still time the Race Against Time is the same all over Mauritania the addressif continues to the east to the edge of the Sahara there a geological structure 50 kilometers in diameter the result of subterranean volcanic activity and erosion scans the Stars like a giant eye it's the Richard structure otherwise known as the eye of Africa nearby are two ancient fortified Caravan trading posts wadan and shingetti [Music] founded in the 13th century the Fortified town of shingetti was a commercial Crossroads between North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa this desert Metropolis was the seventh holy city of Islam and a symbol of the Sahara's nomadic culture foreign was known for its Scholars and was in its Glory years one of Islam's pillars of knowledge it is said that every building housed a library today there are only five libraries left only three of which are still in use safe is one of the last remaining Librarians did you know that it was distant cousins of our family who introduced tea to Mauritania people didn't used to drink tea they infused Roots yeah they drank herbal tea thank you my grandmother always used to say I must stop drinking all this tea but the problem is as soon as you've washed your face in the morning you fancy a cup of tea when it gets to midday tea is a must and after lunch oh if you don't drink tea it's as if you haven't had lunch tea at four o'clock in the middle of the afternoon is another must on a night you need a cup of tea too so of course she didn't manage to cut down at all just like every morning safe is getting ready to go to work in the family library but today is a special day his nephew Muhammad is starting work alongside him as a librarian's Apprentice in Mauritania every tribe has its function there are warriors and blacksmiths but we as wires someone who carries books we are here to teach and inform I want to carry on this tradition and work with manuscripts oh yeah we are at last this is the library door I'll show you how to open it her mind you don't mistake it for a toothbrush uh you have to find a notch inside once you find the hole you Jiggle It And hey presto it opens [Music] it says I'm not Immortal a young member of the family needs to take over from me look at these our ancestors kept these manuscripts in trunks or in sacks sometimes in incredible conditions like these cardboard boxes contain our culture these manuscripts have all been cataloged for example under tea you've got Theology and a is for astrology it's all been properly indexed okay inside there are Treasures to be found some dating from the 15th century here for example you've got a summary of the writings of Imam Mustafa halim he was a theologian foreign to be extremely careful when you open them the manuscripts can't withstand the sweat on your hands or sand or dust one part is written in red and another part in black but the imagination is very unusual you'll only see that in these works the last words written here are copied again at the top of the following page it's a form of pagination oh yes I see it here and here that's right foreign daylight this is an astrophysics book which dates back to the 18th century the West had Scholars too but the Arabs were the first to explore the Sciences of astronomy and Mathematics yeah you can already see the constellations for cancer and Libra the Arabs knew that the Earth was round and that it revolved long before Galileo and Copernicus where do these books come from how do they all come together it depends some of these books were written here by members of our family and some were acquired elsewhere during pilgrimages and business trips they were bought exchanged or given to us at a friendship sometimes they contain knowledge that we memorized and then transcribed it is a skill that has set the inhabitants of Cinque apart over the years thanks to the conservation efforts of librarians like safe the precious manuscripts of shingetti the sorban of the desert have resisted the onslaught of time but nowadays it is the libraries themselves which are threatened all around shingetti the desert is advancing the result of climate change caused by human activity a draws old wall towns are gradually becoming submerged in sand at the request of safe Muhammad has gone off to visit the libraries in another ancient Town 130 kilometers from shingetti wadan a 14th century fortified city is also listed as a cultural heritage site here too the city is suffering from the ravages of time desertification and the rural Exodus despite these perils a group of villagers has sworn not to let Rodan and its Traditions die today they are preparing for the Festival of ancient cities which will take place in a few months [Laughter] hello welcome safe told me you were coming come and join us hello [Music] it's a traditional game a sort of LeapFrog when they pass from childhood to adulthood the young must try to find a place for themselves in society the weakest will suffer at the hands of the strongest they will be beaten and jumped over it's almost a test for them [Music] why are they touching their heels with their tongues what does that mean it's a game of dexterity you are upside down you have to go down without touching the others it's called The Fast and the pilgrimage this game is called the jumping virgins you need to be very strong to support the weight of the others if one person collapses the whole team loses [Music] thank you [Applause] and when one team loses there is a debriefing and everyone passes the buck saying if you were stronger we wouldn't have lost now it's the tug of war are you playing yes I'm gonna have a girl go on then go and defend shingetti's honor oh yeah [Music] [Music] it hasn't started yet don't stop pulling yet go and Muhammad pull on the Rope go on the man in the blue boo-boo put it straight in front of you go on pull don't give up [Music] [Applause] go on pull don't give up [Music] no pull harder pull harder [Music] it makes me laugh because Muhammad who has traveled a long way to see us is getting beaten like everyone else he should take it as a welcoming gesture it's our way of saying you are one of us it's what you might call tough love it makes me very happy to see a young man like him show an interest in Tradition and culture and these manuscripts I'm comforted by the fact that they won't disappear because the young are there to take responsibility for this Heritage this treasure which has existed since the dawn of time [Music] foreign Muhammad was greeted by safe the old librarian wanted to take his Apprentice to the big Dune which overlooks the surrounding area must survive you must pass this knowledge on my generation of old peoples had its day it's up to you youngsters to roll up your sleeves bear in mind that you are defending the legacy of your forefathers and that without you it will soon disappear it is all down to you and you alone safe is trading up his successor because passing on his expertise is worth more than a legacy of one thousand pieces of gold Just Like You by The Nomad or nor the fisherman he knows that mauritania's Heritage now depends on its next generation of Sentinels

Channel: TRACKS - Travel Documentaries

Views: 818,447

Keywords: African beliefs, African countries, African folklore tales, Cultural Awareness, Sustainable Tourism, TRACKS - Travel Documentaries, Tourism in Africa, Travel Destinations, Unexpected Narratives, Weekly Documentaries, adventure travel, cultural immersion, cultural learning, cultural practices, cultural survival, environmental impact, ocean impact, rural traditions, traditional knowledge, traditional values, traditions

Id: d1np3X5rFCw

Length: 102min 12sec (6132 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 12 2022