The aisles of the old courthouse in Dakar are empty, devoid of the works that were to be exhibited in this emblematic place of the Senegalese capital, less than two weeks before the initial launch date of the 15th edition of the Biennale d' contemporary African art, Dak'Art.
On April 24, by a press release from the Senegalese Ministry of Culture, one of the major events in continental contemporary art was postponed from May 16 to November 7. A hard blow for players in this sector as Dak'Art, which has existed since 1996, has always been held on the scheduled date, with the exception of the 2020 edition, during the Covid-19 epidemic. . Fifty-eight African and diaspora artists were invited this year.
“The national context, marked by the holding of the last presidential election [on March 24], had a strong impact on the process of preparing this event dedicated to the visual arts. But the international context also played a role, with in particular difficulties in transporting the works passing through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea [where the Houthis are increasing attacks on ships off the coast of Yemen],” explains Marième Ba, the secretary. general of Dak'Art, who says he cannot quantify the financial cost of this change of date.
While rumors of a postponement have been circulating for several weeks, many cultural actors criticize an announcement considered too late, only three weeks before the event. “We had to wait until the new president was inaugurated, the government was appointed and the new minister of culture was installed for the decision to be taken,” explains a source within the steering and organizing committee. of the Biennale which returns the responsibility to the previous government team, that of former president Macky Sall.
“The former government did not respect its financial commitments, the Biennale found itself without resources,” continues the same source. According to the source of the organizing committee, only the first third of Dak'Art's budget of around one billion CFA francs (some 1.5 million euros) had been paid in January, while the State is the majority contributor.
Some actors also point to internal dysfunctions. “The general secretariat has not done its job well, it is up to us to unite to point out the failings. We have to fight to change the administrative team which has failed,” said Pascal Nampémala Traoré, an Ivorian artist based in Dakar, who had planned to present an artistic event on the sidelines of the 2024 Biennale.
For gallery owners, this change in calendar has direct consequences. “I have to postpone the program until November, but this will have a big financial impact because I had already paid for the plane tickets, the artists' accommodation and the rental of the exhibition space. So many costs which will not be reimbursed,” regrets Aude Minart, director of the African Gallery based in Paris.
Players in the sector spontaneously came together on social networks behind the hashtag
Some 500 “off” events would be maintained
In a press release dated April 30, he warned that “the graphic charter of the “off” is exclusively linked to the “in” of the Dakar Arts Biennale. Any total or partial use of these elements outside the framework of the 15th Dakar Biennale is prohibited and subject to prosecution.” “The general secretariat does not have the power to ban cultural events. I am going to maintain my exhibition which I have been planning for a year, and for which I brought works from Burkina Faso", reacts Joëlle Le Busy from the Dakar gallery Arte, which has only changed the signage and the communication around of its event.
She is far from the only one to have decided to maintain her program in May, despite the official cancellation. One source indicates that around three quarters of the approximately 500 events planned for the “off” would be maintained. Among them, the Raw Material art center, which is holding the opening of its exhibition on May 19. “Our local and sub-regional public is waiting for this meeting. We cannot afford to cancel everything,” adds Fatima Bintou Rassoul Sy, program director of this center, for whom the movement
It remains to be seen whether, in six months, the public will be as numerous in Dakar, when Les Rencontres de Bamako, the African Photography Biennale, will open almost at the same time, from November 16 to January 15.
