Martyrs' Day of November 28, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio

Between 1986 and 1991, more than 500 black Mauritanians (civilians and members of the armed forces) had been murdered by torturers and death squads under the orders and commands of the Taya regime. All what these men and women did was seek social, cultural, economic and political equality between all Mauritanians, black and Beidan. However, to the Mauritanian government under president Ould Sidi Ahmed Taya and his Ba'athist partners, the lives of these murdered black Mauritanians meant nothing.

To the black Mauritanian communities and the Diaspora, their lives meant everything. In fact, the Diaspora is ensuring that they are not forgotten and dedicated a day for them to commemorate them and celebrate their heroism. Dubbed Day of the Black Mauritanian Martyrs, the day is observed every year with activities comprising testimonies of the survivors of the Inal, Jreida and Walata prisons and Taya regime's persecutions and torture and the wives of martyrs.
Martyrs' Day of November 28, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio

The Mauritanian Community Association in Columbus, Ohio, has hosted the celebration of the Martyrs' Day on Sunday November 28, 2010, with the collaboration of the Organization of the Widows, the Committee of the Human Rights, North America Division of the FLAM (African Liberation Forces of Mauritania) and AJD/MR (Alliance for Justice and Democracy / Movement for Renovation).
November 28, 2010 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Mauritania's independence. It also marks the twentieth anniversary of the hanging of 28 black Africans at the Inal prison.
As accustomed, reading of the Holy Koran Book at the Oumar Foutiyou Tall mosque to the memory of the martyrs kicked off the activities of the Martyrs' Day.

After the Koran reading, people headed to the conference hall at Fort Rapid, where the remainder of the activities underlying the commemoration of the black Mauritanian Martyrs followed. In front of a room filled with well disciplined audience, Mr. Amadou Gadio welcomed all the attendees and VIPs in the name of the Columbus community of West Africans.
Testimonies

From left to right - Mariam Ba, Aissata Niang, Mansour Kan, Me. Diallo Alassane, Amadou S. Sow, Ba Idrissa
Former Court clerk and former detainee of the Walata prison, Mr. Alassane Diallo, gave a brief recount of the history of inter-ethnic power relations from independence. He pointed out the necessity of shedding light on human rights violations and crimes committed under the commands of Taya.
On their turns, Mr. Ba Idrissa and Mr. Amadou Sadio Sow gave emotional testimonies about their detention, where they underwent harsh torture and inhuman treatment and witnessed the death of their mates in the prison.
As for Mansour Kane, he shared his experience at Inal with audience. He gave a recount of the horrifying night of November 28, 1990, when his brothers in arms were hung to death.

In representing bravely the widows of martyrs, Mariam Ba and Aissata Niang gave moving testimonies and gave lessons of courage and perseverance.
The conference

Abda Wone, journalist and political analyst, has delivered a conference on the topic: "28 of November: What Lessons to be learned?". Mr. Wone gave a retrospective of the political history of Mauritania and repressions against the black Mauritanians. He emphasized on the urgent need for the youth to get involved and engage in seeking social justice; he also stressed the importance of education.
Participants in the Day of the Martyrs called for unity and better working relationships among our organizations; they also made a plea for light to be shed on abuses subjected to the black people in Mauritania, and for rehabilitation of the victims of those abuses.
The celebration of the Day of the Martyrs has been a success and the Columbus community has been delighted to be selected to host this event.

Report by Baba Ly, In Charge of Communication for MCA

Source:http://www.mca-ohio.org/dayofmartyrs/index.html