Film Screening: Maayo Wonaa Keerol, the River is not a Border

On April 30^th, 2024 the above documentary was screened at the West African Research Center. Maayo Wonaa Keerol is a series of gatherings and discussions of an incident which, on April 9^th, 1969, opposed Senegalese farmers and Mauritanian herders in a place called Diawara at the border between the two neighboring countries. Subsequently, thousands of people were displaced and turned into refugees. Thirsty after the conflict, the scars of the incident are still felt as shown in the film by its author, Alassane Diago, who, in a bordering Senegalese town, Dagana, grouped a number of protagonists, witnesses and victims to reminisce and discuss the tragic event of April 9^th, 1989 in order to understand and make everybody agree to the fact that the Senegal river is not a dividing and separating barrier but a pathway which should contribute to uniting people on both sides.

The screening was attended by around 20 people including Mauritanian nationals who contributed vibrantly to the ensuing discussions.

Photo: A view of the audience