1. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Nadia Maya MANDINE. I am a visual arts artist. I am also a lawyer specialized in Legal Sciences – maritime and port activities. I am Senegalese, but by origin, I am Bissau-Guinean. I grew up in Mbour, where I obtained my baccalaureate. I completed the L1 series and obtained my baccalaureate in 2019, after which I was admitted to the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, where I completed my first year up to the license.
In my second year, I joined UCAD’s cinematography club for training in audiovisual wri-ting and practice with CINE-UCAD. We were the 4th generation to produce “En attendant la dernière liste” (2011–2012). I believe this was a turning point for me. It was there that my desire to establish myself in the arts was born. That same year, I had the opportunity to assist the coordinator of the CDP (Performance Contract) program, Mr. Alioun Diouf, representing the World Bank at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar.
From January 2014 to May 2014, I completed an internship as an administrative and financial assistant at Akpo and Co, which later recommended me to the Croix Bleue clinic, where I worked as an executive assistant from May 2014 to October 2022. While working as an executive assistant, I continued my law studies. I subsequently obtained my Professional Master 2 in Legal Sciences – maritime and port activities at Amadou Hampâté Ba University of Dakar.
During the same period, in 2017–2018, while still working as an executive assistant at the clinic, I wrote my Master 2 thesis and completed an internship in my field (maritime) at CEMI, a maritime consultancy firm (from March 1, 2018, to May 31, 2018). I defended my Master 2 in December 2018, while continuing my work at the clinic. In 2020, I enrolled in the National School of Arts and Culture for evening classes. In my second year of fine arts, I was noticed by one of my professors, Ms. Faye (colors and modeling), who invited me to join the Collective of Female Visual Artists of Senegal. My first step into the visual arts world was with the CPS during the 14th edition of the Dakar Arts Biennale in 2022. I began exploring myself and became increasingly influenced by the arts.
Technique: Mixed Media on Canvas
Year: 2023
On the other hand, I felt less and less motivated by the confinement of the clinic. The irresistible desire to change course, combined with stress, pushed me to fully dedicate myself to the arts. The call of the sea and art became increasingly urgent. I saw only one solution: to escape, dive into the sea, and immerse myself in the arts.
2. What motivated you to specialize in maritime law?
I have always been fascinated by the maritime world. The touch of the water, the sea breeze, and the sunsets at sea have always amazed me. Moreover, with some hindsight, I realized that as a nomad (from Guinea-Bissau to Senegal), I have always lived or studied in neighborhoods bordering the sea, where I enjoy going to the beach and escaping. When I was at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, I loved sitting alone facing the sea to meditate, dream, or just try to understand certain phenomena of life. There is also this relaxing, energizing, and almost fusion-like effect that the sea had on me.
When I had to choose a specialization for my Master’s degree, it felt spontaneous for me. It is a choice I do not regret, even though entering the workforce immediately after graduation brought me back to the harsh realities of life.
3. As a legal expert specialized in maritime law, what do you consider the greatest current legal challenges in the African maritime sector?
Today, more and more, public policies recognize that Africa’s future is closely linked to the maritime space that surrounds it, both in terms of challenges and opportunities. African maritime territories face pressure from external actors such as oil companies, foreign shipowners, and pirates. All these actors are competing for strategic maritime resources (oil, gas, fisheries), which in turn redefines the legal challenges that need to be addressed.
In my view, the major current legal challenges in Africa’s maritime sector include:
- Eliminating African maritime barriers to stimulate intra-African trade. Africa must eventually establish a Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA). Agreements on the demarcation and delimitation of maritime borders between states must be strengthened. Legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea – “Rotterdam Rules” (2009), the United Nations Convention on Transit Trade of Land-locked States (1965), and the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic – FAL (1965) can serve as guiding frameworks to improve current African legal instruments.
- Implementing assistance policies through inter-institutional and transnational cooperation and coordination on maritime safety and security must be respected. As noted by His Excellency Amb. Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner of the African Union Commission for Peace and Security, during the 6046th meeting of the UN Security Council on 16 December 2008:
Read the full interview on pages 29 to 36 of Blue Women Africa Magazine : https://www.bluewomenafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Blue-Women-Africa-Magazine-English.pdf
