1.  a) What continent is Mauritania part of?
b)  Name the capital of Mauritania.
c)  List the countries that border Mauritania.

2.  a) Who is the president of Mauritania?
b)  Since what year has slavery been illegal in Mauritania?
c)  What did the military dictatorship that ruled Mauritania for more than 20 years prior to President Abdellahi's democratic election say about slavery?
d)  Read the "BACKGROUND ON SLAVERY IN MAURITANIA" below.  For how many years has slavery existed in Mauritania?
e)  Why did President Abdellahi criminalize slavery in 2007 if it had already been illegal there for over 25 years?

3.  What percent of Mauritania's population is slaves?

4.  President Abdellahi criminalized slavery in Mauritania over six months ago.  What is the focus of this article?

5.  a) According to Romano Cacchioli, what are slaves told they need to do to go to heaven?
b)  What are slaves told will happen to them if they disobey or run away?

6.  President Abdellahi has criminalized slavery in Mauritania but it still exists.  Why hasn't anyone been prosecuted for owning slaves, according to Boubacar Messaoud?

7.  During the panel discussion on slavery in Mauritania, Ibrahima Dia, Mauritanian ambassador to the U.S., said that many former slaves have become influential in politics, in the military, and in business. But he acknowledged that "there is the persistence of slavery in Mauritania."
"It's like Western countries still working to get rid of racial discrimination," he said.
How is slavery in Mauritania different from "Western countries still working to get rid of racial discrimination?"
(If you're unsure of the answer, read more detailed information of slavery in Mauritania at iabolish.org/slavery_today/country_reports/mr.html.)