A country in northwestern Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and located in the Sahel zone. More than 80% of Mauritania’s territory is covered by the sands of the Sahara. It is the fourth most climate-vulnerable country in the world. Recurring cycles of prolonged drought (leading to the degradation of natural resources) and a deepening water deficit have created a severe food insecurity crisis. Although it is home to about 5.2 million people, Mauritania is a textbook example of hunger caused by poverty and insufficient local food production.
26.02.2024
It was around 2 a.m. I was playing baker, sifting flour for doughnuts. Middle of the night, Fat Thursday. CNN was showing the UN Security Council. Everyone thought “this won’t happen”, but it did. The meeting was interrupted by the information about bombs falling on Kyiv. The apocalypse began. The apocalypse is no time for doughnuts.
In the morning at the Good Factory, there were no doughnuts. Instead, we planned our first trip to Ukraine. We spent the next weeks in the border zone, on the Ukrainian side. Every night we brought tea, coffee, warm clothes, provisions, and fuel to the freezing and frightened people. Every morning, we brought back to Poland a sense of gloom. We witnessed fathers saying goodbye to their families, the helplessness of mothers, the crying of children… such moments etch memories as deep as in stone. Ones that last for years, forever.
In Poland, two years of war have managed to first spark and then douse our spirits, to lull us and to draw out all our emotions again. Even those we should be ashamed of. During this time, Ukraine has been fighting patiently. Enduring increasingly stronger attacks. The sense of injustice does not allow them to retreat.
Today I am in Mauritania and I am remembering that horrible Thursday. The consequences of the explosions in Ukraine are felt even here. The world has become poorer. Lost some gene of wisdom. Burkina Faso has welcomed the Wagner Group, Russian flags now hang at every crossroad of the capital. Across Africa, food prices soared two years ago and to this day are a torment for the poorest. One is lucky to be able to feed their child today, but will there be enough food tomorrow? Not everyone in Mauritania knows where Ukraine is, but everyone feels that the world has lost its way. Mauritanians know well that such mistakes cannot be made. One cannot say that all is well when one is lost. In the desert, such a mistake can cost your life.
Mateusz Gasiński
08.01.2025
“People are ashamed of their poverty. To keep others from thinking they have nothing, they put a pot of water over the fire outside their home. When it starts to boil, they add sand — pretending to cook so it looks like they’ll be eating, like they used to,” says Dr. Youba from the hospital […]
28.03.2024
Today in Senegal, entire families are preparing Ngalakh. They are preparing it but won’t eat it yet. Only after the Passion Play, after the burial of Jesus, Christians gather and in the spirit of mourning share Ngalakh with Muslims. It symbolizes the harmony that transcends differences between their religions. Ngalakh is a type of dessert […]
19.03.2024
“It is a good sign if the child is crying. It signals that their strength is returning, that they have the energy to show they are suffering. Hunger kills in silence.” “Why do people here starve?” “Hunger has always been present in the Sahara. The desert is not welcoming. It has nothing to offer. It […]