Khaberni - The Mauritanian authorities have decided to ban throwing money at weddings and other social occasions, and have taken a series of measures to combat a tradition known locally as "Zarg" ("the point" in other dialects), which has sparked wide controversy, especially among folk artists and owners of party halls, as they are the most affected by the decision.
The Ministry of Trade and Tourism announced that it has issued a decree prohibiting the throwing of banknotes at social events inside celebration halls, and clarified that it will be strictly enforced and those who violate it will be punished.
The ministry revealed that this decision was made to combat "a bad phenomenon that violates both law and Sharia".
Reactions among Mauritanian artists to the decision were mixed. While the majority of those who expressed their opinions on the decision rejected it and decried its implementation, others praised it, headlined by the well-known artist Malouma Mint El Meidah, who expressed surprise in a statement at some artists' objections to the decree prohibiting money throwing at weddings, considering that the way money is thrown undermines the value of art and the artist.
