2005-08-11 - 4:54 p.m.

As many as you have already heard, Mauritania “suffered” a bloodless coup d’etat whereby the former president Mohammed Maouya Ould Taya, who’d been in power for the past 21 years and was in Saudi Arabia at the time, was toppled by high military commanders and the country is now being ruled by a 17-member military junta.

I was in Nouakchott when the coup happened and felt like the whole experience was extremely surreal. While warned by Mauritanian friends and Peace Corps staff alike to stay indoors and to limit my movements within the city, I was surprised to see life outside of my hotel apartment running as peacefully as usual, a stark contrast from the alarming reports seen on international news broadcasts such as BBC and Euronews, which I was maniacally staring at the entire day hoping to receive updates on the situation.

Another example of media misrepresentation and of relativity of perception: while the international community outside Mauritania was receiving an alarming and panicked account of the situation, the reality was much calmer and almost “insensitive” to current domestic events… Mauritania was finally occupying a visible spot on the world map, with people finally hearing about its existence…and wondering if it were going to be just another one of those African civil and political disasters, marked by oil drilling, corrupt politicians, human rights violations, terrorism ties, anti-Israel sentiments (in contrast with the former government’s efforts to foster diplomatic relations with Israel) and stark ethnic tensions (each factor reported about all at once in this occasion.)

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania was suddenly reprimanded by the European Union, The United States, the African Union and several other government bodies. Pleas for the former president to be reinstated were made and repeated countless times. The local population both in Nouakchott and in the interior was rallying mostly in favor of the new government… or at least in favor of much desired change, while those remaining faithful to the former president were too passive to organize a “unique voice” but continued private discussions about their fears for the future state of their country. Individuals known and jailed for their extreme Islamist thoughts were freed. All sorts of speculations were brewing (and still are) about the coup d’etat, the international community’s reactions, the former president and the new leadership, changes ahead, etc.

As the days go by, the excitement accompanying the news is dwindling away succumbing to the daily “business as usual” rhythm of life, whereby the people’s lives remain untouched by the events and the only changes seem to be appearing at the diplomatic level and maybe… just maybe… on the bank account level, determining who’s now benefiting from all the corruption happening in this country!

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