Biram Dah Abeid, known as “the Nelson Mandela of Mauritania,” is founder of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) and an antislavery campaigner. A descendant of former slaves, Abeid works to strengthen the enforcement of Mauritanian laws forbidding slavery, as well as to improve the social integration and livelihood of former slaves and other members of the majority black-African population. In Mauritania, which has the highest rate of slavery in the world, Abeid’s activism revolves around raising awareness about the possibility of a slavery-free life.