It’s not every day that you find yourself wandering through the districts of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania—one of the least visited countries in Africa. Immersing yourself in the culture of the former French colony’s banlieue, particularly the 5ème and 6ème arrondissements, reveals a hidden side of the city where prejudices are crystallized, yet resilience blooms. Like banlieues around the world, Mauritania’s suburbs serve as a future laboratory, where the youth conceive new means of expression and action, writing their future with resilience and determination. One of these young creators is Daouda Corera, a 38-year-old street photographer whose mission is clear: to showcase the beauty of Mauritania to the world.
Growing up in the banlieues of Nouakchott, Corera’s artistic identity was molded by the cultural diversity and social complexity of the suburbs. His fascination with his origins paved the way for him to become one of the most internationally recognized street photographers. “Sebkha, to me, is more beautiful than Disneyland—it’s the most colorful neighborhood, bustling day and night with lively evenings filled with music,” Corera shares, beaming with affection for the place that shaped him.
In the rich Sebkha, El Mina, Basra, BMD, and Ilot A, the young photographer captured some of his most evocative shots, portraying everyday scenes in vibrant, vivid colors and dynamic compositions. His work includes both portrait and landscape photography, highlighting the lives of individuals and the environments they inhabit. The interplay of light and shadow in his images is striking, emphasizing contrasts and textures, and bringing out the details of his subjects and their surroundings. His images tell stories of resilience and identity, capturing the daily lives of people who, despite being on the periphery of society, embody the heart and soul of the nation.
“An artist,” he emphasizes, “cannot be limited in how they work. Art is about expressing one’s identity and the identity of the country. For me, Mauritania is a colorful mosaic of ethnicities, reflected in the way we dress—the colors of our skin and our traditional or modern clothing.”
His approach is far from being limited to traditional mediums. He’s also a photojournalist who aims to highlight cultural nuances through his images. “My photography captures the faces, clothing, and ethnicities that define the richness of Mauritania, a crossroads between West Africa and North Africa. People here manage to maintain distinct identities, dressing differently according to their culture, neighborhood, and ethnicity.”
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This is why street photography, for him, became a deliberate choice a few years ago. “The phone gives me mobility and the freedom to sneak into people’s lives and daily activities without drawing too much attention. This guarantees spontaneity and the authenticity of the moment. When people know I’m there with a camera, it changes the dynamic.”
Using a phone in a country where intimacy and privacy are usually sacred helped him build a distinctive style and develop his own approaches and methods. “I have a concept in my head—I don’t want to get lost while taking a photo. I have a few seconds to capture the moment, so I want it to be just right,” he reveals, emphasizing that there are “no simulations or posed shots. I play within those lines.” This approach ensures that his photos are not just images, but genuine moments of life in Mauritania—unfiltered and raw.
Knowing the artist and his commitment to using his photos as a medium to present a more nuanced image of the Northern African country, with its strategic localization, it is unsurprising that he is proud to be one of the first photographers to join Everyday Africa, a collective of photographers working to broaden perceptions of the continent and challenge the monolithic portrayals of Africa that dominate global media. “For those who have never seen Nouakchott, my photos offer a unique perspective. Through my lens, people get to see Nouakchott as I see it—through my eyes,” he says.
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While it’s not entirely accurate to speak of a mainstream narrative revolving around this often overlooked country, it’s still valid to consider the lack of information and representation of its people and its ethnicities as a telling detail. While the world knows little to nothing about it, within the country’s borders, the Peul people—and in this case, artists—are still marginalized and often underrepresented. This is a sentiment that Corera echoes throughout our discussion. “Here, people think of Sebkha as a place of bandits and vagabonds, especially with the influx of communities from sub-regions. But the 5th and 6th districts are actually home to young intellectuals, social initiatives, and NGOs focused on ecology, art, and childhood,” he notes.
Another layer of complexity adds to the expectation of what constitutes a “true Mauritanian”—someone who is expected to speak Hassaniya, the dominant language that blends Berber dialects and Arabic. Hassaniya, spoken by the Bidhan and Haratin communities, is a strong cultural marker in Mauritania. “I learned Arabic thanks to my Quranic education. And there’s an expectation: if you’re Mauritanian, you’re supposed to speak Hassaniya. I often come across people who wonder about my Mauritanian identity because I speak Pulaar and French, without mastering Hassaniya,” reveals Daouda.
While most Bidhan speak little of the other national languages, namely Wolof, Soninke, and Bambara, Pulaar, the language of the Fulani community, and other national languages, add to the linguistic diversity that characterizes Mauritania. “But honestly, I’ve never really paid attention to the predominance of language,” he adds, seeing the complex linguistic landscape as a reflection of the cultural richness that defines the country.
Stressing the fact that identity can never be drowned by any form of dominance, strong or mild, he points out that in photography, as in painting, most people tend to believe that art is about representing images or paintings that stick to traditional forms of expression—calligraphy, images of dunes and camels. “There’s often confusion between what constitutes art and what is considered craftsmanship. The line between artisan and artist is blurred,” he explains.
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Thanks to his genuine passion and authentic approach, the information-engineer-turned-photographer was able to draw attention to his artworks. Selected by WeTransfer as an ambassador, he has successfully managed to create an online community interested in staying updated with his world, garnering more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, and starting to build a professional career with international echoes. Bringing the untold stories of his country to a global stage, he participated in numerous international exhibitions across Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Córdoba, Spain.
In fact, he was part of the first exhibition entirely dedicated to contemporary Mauritanian art outside its borders, the ‘Memories in Motion’ exhibition curated by Aïcha Janeiro. He expresses: “Exhibitions, especially collective ones, are crucial for presenting our work abroad and connecting different forms of art to showcase the unique cultural identity that thrives in Mauritania.”
After being one of the pioneering artists and street photographers who paved the way for a new generation to spread their wings and catch their dreams, Corera is now focused on nurturing the artistic potential of Mauritania’s next generation. His commitment is embodied in projects like the Café des Arts, a space he co-founded with fellow visual artist and filmmaker Béchir Malum, designed to serve as a platform for local youth and artists to meet, discuss, and unleash their creativity.
