Скачать или смотреть Orchestre National de Mauritanie - Oumletna

Composer Mohamed O. Nigdhei, sung in Hassaniya.

In the 1960s and 1970s many African nations supported a national orchestra who were tasked with presenting repertoires of "modern" African music. Borrowing from indigenous music and transposing the melodies to western instrumentation, these groups were emblematic of their nation's aspirations to promote unity through a national culture while also demonstrating the possibilities of new African musical styles. The role of these orchestras was significant: they not only sang of the government’s initiatives and policies, but were also the voice of the state and helped shaped fashion and culture.

In the late 1960s the Mauritanian government sent their newly formed national orchestra to Guinea, where they were trained by Balla Onivogui, the chef d'orchestre of Balla et ses Balladins. During the era of Sékou Touré, Guinea had pioneered the transformation of indigenous music through a cultural policy called authenticité. The government funded national annual arts competitions, the Syliphone recording label, and hundreds of orchestras, dance troupes, theatrical groups and traditional musical ensembles throughout the country. This song comes from the Orchestre National de Mauritanie’s first recording session, in Conakry.

My research indicates that a second session of material was also recorded, but appears lost.