Qatar sheds spotlight on ancient Mauritanian culture

Doha-based Cultural association Katara Cultural Village is presenting this December 14 – 16 the “Chinguetti Culture Week”, a culture event featuring a series of lectures on various aspects of ancient Mauritanian culture as well as a display of traditional Mauritanian dress and other artifacts and exhibits, The Peninsula Qatar reports.

The Mauritanian Community Office in the Gulf country is associated with the three-day cultural event.

The first day’s program will include a presentation on the ambassadors of the Chinguetti culture, followed by poetry readings, as well as an introductory tour of the exhibition, Qatari media reports.

The second day will showcase a paper entitled Chinguetti, the Treasure of Language and Manuscripts, in addition to a paper entitled Mauritanian Literature from Poetry to Prose.

On the third day, a first session will be devoted to a lecture entitled Chinguetti Culture: Its Origins and Characteristics, and a second session will feature a seminar entitled Others’ Perception of the Chinguetti.

Activities will wind up with a tribute to Mauritanian writers in Qatar.

Chinguetti is one of Mauritania’s ancient Saharan cities that was once an intellectual hub. It was created more than 1,200 years ago.

The red-stone city was a caravan stop for pilgrims en route to Mecca. It also emerged as one of the biggest centers of science, religion, and mathematics in West Africa.

The UNESCO-listed city is at risk as the resourceful libraries are constantly battling the sands and dry air of the Sahara Desert, while a lack of tourism due to security concerns has forced three of the libraries not to open on a regular basis.