Mauritania-born, Brooklyn-based artist Ba Djibril Ngawa joined AfrobeatRadio on November 12, 2025, for a powerful conversation on pastoralism, migration, identity, and artistic expression.
Host: Wuyi Jacobs
Raised in the small pastoral village of Douboulde in southeastern Mauritania’s Guidimaka region, Ba Djibril comes from a Fulani family that served as a cultural bridge between several Mauritanian ethnic communities. That multicultural upbringing continues to shape both his worldview and his art.
Blending abstract and figurative expressionism, Ba Djibril describes his work as deeply rooted in the rhythms and spiritual memory of pastoral Africa. His paintings, photography, drawings, and writings explore movement, feeling, migration, and the search for meaning.
“My art is a reflection of where I was born and raised in Africa. Any piece I create is a lyric, a melody, and movement in visual form.”
His artistic journey connects the nomadic-pastoral traditions of Mauritania with the contemporary creative energy of Brooklyn, New York. Through his work, the past and present converge, revealing what he calls the shared thread of “one humanity.”
In this episode, Ba Djibril reflects on memory, displacement, cultural inheritance, and the spiritual dimensions of art, offering listeners an intimate look into the experiences that continue to shape his creative practice.
Follow Ba Djibril Ngawa on Instagram:
@badjibrilngawa
Credits:
AfrobeatRadio Team.
