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) 

Ready, Set, Sketch!

When?

July 21-23 of 2011 in Lisbon, Portugal.

What?

This three-day event consists of lectures, exhibits and field sketching workshops around Lisbon's city center taught by local and international professional illustrators, architects, designers, artists and art educators (seeSchedule and Instructors and Speakers). The Symposium is organized by the volunteer-based nonprofit Urban Sketchers, whose mission is to foster the art of on-location drawing.

Where?

The Symposium is held at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon (FBAUL) in the heart of Lisbon's Chiado neighborhood. 

How can I sign up?

Online registration opens on March 28. Tuition is 200 euros. Due to limited space, we encourage you to sign up early to secure your spot.http://symposium.urbansketchers.org/

Portrait of Ditte

Sometimes there are people I just need to draw and I'll be as rude as to say - wait I need to sketch you. 

Why ? Not that easy to answer but probably they carry something I would love to capture.

Photographer and film maker Ditte, check her site for her powerful subjects portraits, came to say hello as she heard there was a Portuguese in Nouakchott, she felt "saudades" ( nostalgie) of the language she learned as a young girl in Mozambique. In Mauritania making a documentary about the clandestines trying to reach Europe.

Her short films on her site shouldn't be missed.

making herself beautiful

Ousmane was born exactly a week ago today they're celebrating his baptism.
The mother spent the morning in a beauty room having her hair done, make-up and fake nails. She makes herself beautiful to celebrate the arrival of the new baby.

Festival des villes anciennes, Chingueti

Passe d'Amodjar

 Remaking a Walata's door

Rap with Oulad Bled and Kazali

 lunch under the "khaima"

Calligraphy. Bismillah, Rahman u Rahim forming the body of a peacock.

Mauritania

Women from Ouadane singing songs to the profet Mohamed during the "Festival de villes Anciennes de  Chinguetti".

Presentation by professor Ahmed Mouloud ould Eida on the architecture of the ancient villages of Mauritania. The conference took place in the morning in arabic. I and others had the chance to meet him and to listen to it in french.

This morning demonstration by the Libyan Embassy against Gaddafi. Were present the opposition party RFD and university students.

Nouakchott

Two views from the city of Nouakchott with the minarets of the Saudien Mosque done during a sketchcrawl in 2009 ?

Marbat

Marbat or the place where you can buy a live animal, goat or lamb. I never posted this drawing, that I did in 2009. I went sketching with two Mauritanian artists, Oumar Ball and Bechir Malum on the outskirts of town. We should try and do it again...