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piqer for: Boom and bust Global finds
I am a Dutch journalist, writer and photographer and cover topics such as human rights, poverty, migration, environmental issues, culture and business. I’m currently based in The Hague, The Netherlands, and frequently travel to other parts of the world. I have also lived in Tunisia, Egypt, Kuwait and Dubai.
My work has been published by Al Jazeera English, BBC, The Atlantic's CityLab, Vice, Deutsche Welle, Middle East Eye, The Sydney Morning Herald, and many Dutch and Belgian publications.
I hold an MA in Arabic Languages and Cultures from Radboud University Nijmegen and a post-Master degree in Journalism from Erasmus University Rotterdam. What I love most about my work is the opportunities I get to ask loads of questions. Email: [email protected]
Tens Of Thousands Of Slaves Work In Mauritania
French-Moroccan photojournalist Seif Kousmate spent a month photographing and interviewing current and former slaves in Mauritania.
In 1981, this West African country made slavery illegal, the last country in the world to do so. However, I read in this article that still tens of thousands of people live as bonded labourers, domestic servants or child brides here.
Local rights groups estimate that even up to 20 percent of the population is enslaved. Most of them come from the minority Haratine or Afro-Mauritanian groups.
Mauritania has a rigid caste system, with darker-skinned inhabitants beholden to their lighter-skinned “masters”. Slave status is passed down from mother to child, and anti-slavery activists are regularly tortured and detained.
Yet the government routinely denies that slavery exists in Mauritania, instead praising itself for eradicating the practice.
During his reporting, photojournalist Seif Kousmate was also arrested and imprisoned for four days, and his memory cards, phone and laptop confiscated. Apparently, he managed to bring home some of his photos. They are published in this interesting photo essay which is accompanied by the stories of a few former slaves.
