Mauritania: Using Twitter to Mock the President · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

On August 6, Mauritanian President General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz appeared [ar] on national television. During that televised appearance, police assaulted [ar] a journalist while he was covering the arrest [ar] of, and the aggression towards a guest who called upon the General to leave. Mauritanian Twitter users followed the events in real time, and reacted via the hash tag #مسرحية _الجنرال [ar] (The General's Play).
All this took place during a live transmitted and long TV show under the title “Encounter with the People.” The televised appearance [of the President] coincided with the anniversary of the 2008 coup d'état, which led to the overthrow of Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Mauritania's first civil and elected President.
The President was insulting the opposition, and accused it of serving the interests of foreign parties. He also ridiculed the opposition's demand which called upon the regime to leave. The Movement of Mauritanian Youth [ar] staged several protests against the televised appearance of the General, and called for the fall of his regime. Dozens of I.R.A.[Abolitionist movement in Mauritania] activists staged a protest [ar] in front of the Justice Ministry building, and the Mauritanian Radio headquarters in protest against the President's slavery declarations during the TV show. They considered his statements as a denial of slavery in public, while standing by the side of slave owners in private.
Mauritanian President, photo published by alkachiv blog
Activist Abdel Fetah Habib mocked the President's low education level:
@afetah لم يتكلم عن إنشاء جامعات عليمة بل يفهم فقط في التكوين المهني. هذا مستواه #مسرحية _الجنرال
Activist Baba Ould Deye echoed similar sentiments. He tweeted about the General's failure to obtain even the lowest educational qualifications:
@babadeye العالم الليلة يتابع حدث نزول مسبار كيوريوسيتي علي #المريخ،ونحن نتابع #مسرحية _الجنرال الذي لا يمتلك شهادة ثانوية #Curiositylands #موريتانيا
Writer and blogger Abu Abbass Braham mentioned the General's history:
@abbassbraham مازال الذكي يتهم المعارضة بالانتماء للنظام السابق، رغم أنه كان حارسه مدة عشرين عاما.
Sidi Ettaieb Ould Mojteba commented on the President's lies:
@mojteba الجنرال يتحدى كل من يقول أن في موريتانيا يوجد بها قمع، ويبدو أنه نسي قضية المشظوفي الذي قتل بدم بارد
Khalil Ould Jdoud, Al-Arabiya correpondent, commented on the same thing:
@KHjdoud مسكين مسيلمة وجدنا من يزايد عليه في الكذب، يستحق العريف دخول الموسوعة العالمية وأن تضرب به العرب المثل
Ahmed Ould Ennahoui mentioned a caller who accused the General of lying:
@nahmedou متصل رائع كذب الجنرال #مسرحية _الجنرال #موريتانيا
Mejdi Ahmad expressed his lack of interest towards the General's televised appearance:
@mejdmr علي العموم أنا لم اتابع #مسرحية_الجنرال ولا أبحث عن إعادتها إطلاقا !!
Mohammed Abdou inquired about the destiny of the young man arrested at the TV studio:
@medabdou شباب هل لديكم خبر حول المعتقلين في #مسرحية_الجنرال البارحة ؟ ماهي أخبارهم هل أطلق سراحهم؟ #موريتانيا
Activist Bab Ould Hourma pocked fun at the TV host:
@bHourma اللحظة التاريخية يا منت اليلي لم تحن بعد.. يوم تحين تلك اللحظة ستهربين كما فعلت هالة المصراتي!!
Journalist Yacoub Ould Mohamed Salem also commented on the TV host's lies:
@YacoubBHD أحدهم اتصل عبر الهاتف.. بدأ ينتقد انقطع الاتصال فاعتذر المقدم لأن المتدخل اختار قطع الاتصال بنفسه #مسرحية_الجنرال #موريتانيا