Noura Mint Seymali of Mauritania will receive the 2025 Artist Award. Mauritania’s musical heritage remains less familiar internationally than that of neighboring Mali or Senegal, yet her work has raised its profile. She was born into a lineage of Moorish praise singers, poets, and musicians, and she performs the Moorish repertoire, rooted in Arab, Berber, and sub-Saharan traditions, while adapting it for contemporary audiences.
Her longtime collaborator is her husband, guitarist Jeiche Ould Chighaly. Together they pair the ardin (harp) and tidinit (lute) with psychedelic rock and microtonal electric lines. Her voice presents classical Hassaniya poetry with clarity and control. The albums Tzenni (2014) and Arbina (2016) topped world music charts and expanded her international reach. A new release, Yenbett, arrives in November. In continuing the legacy of her stepmother, Dimi Mint Abba, she carries Mauritania’s classical tradition to wider audiences, an achievement WOMEX recognizes with this year’s award.
The WOMEX Artist Award honors artists and groups whose mastery and creativity demonstrate music’s capacity for positive change. The accolade spans genres and cultural traditions worldwide. Past recipients include BCUC (South Africa), Calypso Rose (Trinidad & Tobago), Cheikh Lô (Senegal), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistan), and Kronos Quartet (USA).
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central