fashion show of Bana Korel

 backstage, making up some of the guests and the models

 Aissata, dressmaker and mother of the young fashion designer doing the last touches.

 a small musical break and the show goes on

 a little girl in the audience

M-art a group of young Mauritanian artistes organised for the second year a 10 day long Art Festival.  They had sketching workshops going on at local schools to introduce the younger generations to drawing and painting, something that doesn't exist at all in the schools programmes ( there are no Art Schools and drawing/painting are not taught) and an open painting workshop at the National Museum of Nouakchott. For the last day of the Festival they sponsored a young Mauritanian fashion designer, Bana Korel. Bana had the help of her mother, a dressmaker and of Laye Sall tailor and fashion designer and Mamadou Diatta, taylor.
The show was at the Institute Français and the public was delighted and surprised by the beautiful creations of Bana Corel.

party

drawing in the dark, Taigue Ahmed

A choreographer and dancer from Tchad, Taigue Ahmed, doing a solo based on his experiences as a young boy in the war and how his mother got him out of the country by dressing him up as a girl. 

Very strong and beautifully performed but for the second time in the last months I drew on complet dark keeping my eyes in the stage (to see the women's concert on women's day click here)