Mauritania
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Dimi Mint Abba
Tidjikja, Mauritania
Archival Overview
Immense Mauritanian singer and ardin (harp) player hailed as the 'Diva of the Desert', who won the 1976 Pan-Arab Youth Music Prize in Tunis and brought Saharan music to world festivals.
Biographical Record
Loula Mint Siddaty, celebrated globally as Dimi Mint Abba, was born into an illustrious lineage of traditional Mauritanian griot musicians (Iggawin) in Tidjikja. Her father composed the Mauritanian national anthem. Mastering the traditional female harp (ardin), her rich, soaring voice conveyed the untamed majesty of the Sahara.
In 1976, she won the prestigious Umm Kulthum Trophy at the Arab Song Festival in Tunis. Signing with World Circuit records in London in 1990, she performed at WOMAD, the Barbican, and worldwide festivals, becoming Mauritania's most famous cultural ambassador until her untimely passing in 2011.
Key Life Milestones
Winner of the Umm Kulthum Trophy in Tunis
Won first prize at the International Arab Song Contest with her hit 'Sawt Elfan' (The Voice of Art).
Winner of the Umm Kulthum Trophy in Tunis
Won first prize at the International Arab Song Contest with her hit 'Sawt Elfan' (The Voice of Art).
Winner of the Umm Kulthum Trophy in Tunis
Won first prize at the International Arab Song Contest with her hit 'Sawt Elfan' (The Voice of Art).
Release of 'Moorish Music from Mauritania' on World Circuit
Released the globally celebrated acoustic recording that introduced Mauritanian classical music to world audiences.
Release of 'Moorish Music from Mauritania' on World Circuit
Released the globally celebrated acoustic recording that introduced Mauritanian classical music to world audiences.
Release of 'Moorish Music from Mauritania' on World Circuit
Released the globally celebrated acoustic recording that introduced Mauritanian classical music to world audiences.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialNouakchott, Mauritania