Haratin is characterised by a rich cultural heritage

Haratin is characterised by a rich cultural heritage, unique, and full of popular artistic practices that reflects the cultural identity of this group. But the systematic marginalisation to this ethnic group has contributed to a large extent to the blurring of its identity until it was about to extinct. Narration, oral memories, and regular individual and collective practices by the slaves while preforming the duties and services to their masters has kept it for us.
Based on the tragic situation that had been experienced by the society in the early 1970s , some human rights movements emerged struggling for the political, economic, and social rights of this group. But this struggle did not address the culture and arts of this ethnic group as an inheritance that determines its privacy , guarantees the rights of its practice ,and makes it a tool through which Haratin express their pain.
For this, Teranim foundation which aims to reconsider these folklore and its practitioners has been found. One of the most popular arts that the centre cares about and the most important as well is the art of the praise of the Prophet for its spiritual dimension. Most of the texts of this art focus on the supplication and the desire to seek freedom that would be robbed with every morning.
EL MEDH
This kind of art is preformed only at night because the slaves who used to practice it used to be up to their eyes all day long serving their masters. Therefore, they did not use to have free time but few stolen hours of nights when their masters are asleep and almost everything is in silence. They used to express their feelings in these songs and get the recreation of their souls who would face new chapter of suffering begins with each new sunrise.
BENDJE
To some people, it means deviation Idembir (refusing to be enslaved) the will to freedom and a rebellious work against the masters. This kind of music was born from the womb of slavery and marginalisation. Thus, the slaves wanted it as a regaining part of their lost history. They produce melodies that take them back to the years of injustice and conquest.
Benje art plays an important role in the spiritual education. This art is preformed in a collective manner without a commitment to the musical roles. It's originally based on drums and preformed mostly by women.
STICK GAME
This traditional popular art is kind of dancing with sticks and it is well known in the center and the south of Mauritania . It is a game born in the desert conditions characterised by water scarcity and it's importance to the bedouin. This kind of art is a result of the conflict over the water wells and what accompany the access to the sufficient water from competition and conflict up to fighting with sticks. Therefore, this kind of art is originally a defensive skills with the use of sticks that represent the weapon that accompanies the nomadic in general.
These are just some of the arts that are mostly practiced by Haratin (former slaves)
In Teranim Centre for Popular Arts, we believe in the importance of this artistic and cultural heritage for social and political changes. And we are sure of our ability to realise our goal which is the participation in preserving these arts and promoting them in order to introduce them and empower their practitioners with the right to use arts and cultur as tools of change. We would like to involve all interested institutions in the freedom of culture and artistic creativity. We believe that our diverse artistic programmes which aim to preserving this heritage may stop as a result to the absence of support and sponsorship for our cultural project. All these efforts and activities are still being financed by the individual contributions of some national figures who are interested in cultural diversity in the country.
It is worth mentioning that Teranim foundation is composed of a group of young distinguished people and it contains the the different ethnicities in Mauritanian society which has given it a great credibility locally.