Malouma is a Mauritanian singer-songwriter from Mederdra, born in 1960 and raised in Charatt near Mederdra in a family of griots. Her Arabic name is Malouma Mint Moktar Ould Meidah. She is the daughter of Moktar Ould Meidah, a traditional musician and poet, and the granddaughter of Mohamed Yahya Ould Boubane, who is also described as a skilled poet and player of the tidinit, a small traditional guitar used by griots.

Early life and musical background

Malouma grows up in a musical household and learns the basics of traditional harp playing from her parents. She starts singing at a young age and performs for the first time at 12. By 15 she is already an accomplished griot, performing both with her parents and in solo concerts. Her early repertoire comes from the traditional material her family has developed, especially through her father.

As she grows older, she also listens to singers such as Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Hlim Hafez, Fairouz, Nasri Cherns, Dine and Sabah, and she discovers blues, which later becomes an important influence on her work. She also writes short songs that become popular with young girls.

Career and style

After marriage and a period away from public performance, Malouma returns to the Mauritanian stage in the late 1980s with a new repertoire. Her work is described as combining traditional Mauritanian music with modern instruments and approaches, while keeping a foundation in the country’s older song forms. She becomes known for reworking traditional pieces such as “Rasm”, “Jraad”, “Tchaa'i” and “Nouka”.

She also develops a singer-songwriter approach, giving her songs a stronger thematic unity and addressing subjects that are often treated as taboo, including love, married life and inequality. Her music aims to preserve Mauritanian heritage while also making it more accessible to listeners outside the country.

Activism and public role

Malouma uses her music for social and political causes, contributing songs for AIDS awareness, child vaccination, literacy campaigns and the promotion of women. She is associated with calls for justice and equality in Mauritania and is described as “the singer of the people”.

Influence and collaboration

Her work becomes popular with young people, while initially meeting resistance from parts of the established order. She is recognised by the griot-artist community as the first true composer in Mauritania. She also develops a musical relationship with the Sahel Hawl Blues, a group of ten young Mauritanian musicians who share her interest in combining traditional roots with modern Western-influenced forms and drawing on the country’s multiple cultural communities, including Moorish, Fulani, Toucouleur, Soninke, Wolof and Haratin traditions.