(also known as Bat Bint al-Bura.’; born 1956) is a Mauritanian poet and author.
Biography She was born and raised in , Ataklalat. al-Bura' has a Masters from Higher Teachers' School and advanced degree from Muhammad V University. Her poetry and writing focuses on themes of Mauritanian culture, independence and history, and feminism.
She has written one poetry collection, (al-Wataniya Press, 1991); one novel, ; one short story anthology, ; and two non-fiction books, and .
was critically acclaimed and became well known in Mauritania. Her poetry has been studied and analyzed by scholars since, including Yansara bint Muhammad Mahmoud and Muhammad al-Hafiz ibn Muhammad.
Awards and honours She was awarded the Mauritanian Ministry of Culture Award for Best Poem in 1988, and the Alternative Song Festival Best Poem Award in 1989.
Work
Al-Barra has extensively researched the oral poetry of Mauritania; more specifically, she has studied the tibra, a form of love poem whose recitation is restricted to all-female gatherings. Some of these she has translated into French. Her collection Taranimli-Watanin Wahid (Songs for a Country for All) was published in 1992, and Al-Shi'r al-Muritani al-Hadith, min 1970 ila 1995 (Modern Mauritanian Poetry, 1970–1995) was published in 1998. Some of her poetry has been anthologised in English. She also published a children's book, Hikayat Jaddati (My Grandmother's Tales), in 1997, and was co-editor of a volume of folktales as well. Al-Barra is prominent in Mauritanian cultural life, and has frequently attended literary festivals elsewhere in the Arab world.
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