Government cancels sponsorship of cultural festival due to Polisario

The Mauritanian town of Ojeft, in the Adrar region, hosted a festival dedicated to Hassani culture from August 17 to 19. The organizer is the World Union of Hassani Poets, founded in Nouakchott in February 2022. Invited A Polisario delegation attended the event.

This presence deprives the Mauritanian government of its sponsorship of the festival. Indicates media In Nouakchott. For its part, the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI) did not report, On its coverthe Minister of Culture will attend the opening and closing ceremonies. This is an extremely rare phenomenon. In December 2023, the Minister Announced Speech at the Heritage City Festival. Sometimes the President of the Republic, Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, Who started it? Certain cultural festivals.

The Hassani World Alliance of Poets has received information from the Mauritanian government. On Facebook page During the festival, she put aside photos of participants waving Polisario flags, a measure condemned by supporters of the Mauritanian Front.

As a reminder, in January 2024, Eddouh Ould Binyouk, President of the World Union of Hassani Poets, surrender In the Tindouf refugee camps, he was notably received by the “Foreign Minister”, Mohamed Sidati.