NAMo
8. Tracing the 735-kilometre
From An inquiry into Mauritania’s railway and its social landscapes
This project unfolds in two parts, each capturing the complex narrative surrounding Mauritania’s iron ore railway. The first is a documentary video tracing the 735-kilometre journey from Zouérat to Nouadhibou, revealing the layers of history, politics, and social inequality embedded in this route. Through satellite imagery and visual montage, the film explores the harsh beauty of the Sahara while exposing deeper realities—contemporary slavery, corruption, racial hierarchies, environmental degradation, and poor working conditions.
In contrast, the second component is a canvas with a single black line on white, a simple drawing of the railway. This stark visual acts as a metaphorical scar across the landscape, evoking memory, movement, and the enduring imprint of extraction and inequality in Mauritania’s postcolonial terrain.