If you are interested in donating or would like to learn more about our project, please email us at:
hide.archivalproject@gmail.com
According to SOS-Esclaves, Haratine culture is endangered in Mauritania.
“Look at the Haratin folklore: the state gives no funding to promote this folklore.” - SOS-Esclaves
Haratine Folklore
With the passing of Boubacar Ould Messaoud on March 12, 2026, Mauritania lost its most famous and beloved human rights activist.
SOS-Esclaves was founded by Boubacar Ould Messaoud in 1995. Boubacar Messaoud, a Haratine and the son of slaves, was, prior to the founding of SOS-Esclaves, a member and leader in the El Hor (The Free) anti-slavery movement. In 1981, under pressure from El Hor and the international community, slavery was finally abolished by the Mauritanian government. Abolition, however, did not mean the end of slavery; slavery was still not criminalized, and virtually no effort was expended to enforce abolition. Thus, in 1995 Boubacar Messaoud founded SOS-Esclaves to continue the fight to end slavery in Mauritania. Since 1995, SOS-Esclaves has been committed to raising awareness about the continued existence of slavery, fighting for criminalization and enforcement, and assisting escaped and freed slaves to reclaim their lives and dignity. Since then, SOS-Esclaves has won significant victories such as the 2007 criminalization of slavery and the establishment of anti-slavery courts in 2015. Despite legal progress, slavery continues to occur. SOS-Esclaves continues to fight for the freedom, equality, and dignity of all Mauritanians.
Find out more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/world/africa/boubacar-ould-messaoud-dead.html
Mauritania: Slavery's last stronghold
Remembering Mr. Boubacar Ould Messaoud
The Latest News
About H.I.D.E.
H.I.D.E. is a human rights documentation project founded by students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and now fiscally sponsored by the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in the U.S. (MNHRUS).
H.I.D.E is a digital active archive focused on documenting contemporary human rights abuses faced by the Haratine in Mauritania. The goal is for the digital-active archive to be used within active human rights, legal advocacy, and litigation efforts.
Through interviews, we document the oral experiences of Haratine Participants while collecting written and visual evidence about their experiences.
This website represents our efforts to raise awareness of the conditions of Haratine and current human rights abuses in Mauritania.
This website contains a public version of our archive intended for awareness-raising. As such, the following archival entries are subject to increased censorship to protect the identity of our participants.
Read about us at Anti-Slavery International