The opening ceremony of the fifteenth edition of the biennial of contemporary African Art (DAK ART) will be chaired by the President of the Republic Bassirou Diomaye Diahar Faye at the Grand Théâtre de Dakar. This event will take place from November 7 to December 7 in the Senegalese capital.
Postponed by means of a press release dated April 25, 2024. For organizational reasons, this biennial remains faithful to its ambition: to promote and disseminate African creativity and visual arts on an international scale. If the reporting decision, announced on April 25, 2024, caused a stir among cultural stakeholders, it also made it possible to adjust the event to better meet the expectations of artists and
However
Mouhamadou Zulu Mbaye, president of the Association of Plastic Artists of the Arts Village of Dakar (AAVAD), expresses his concerns about the additional costs generated for artists and deplores the lack of involvement of professionals in the organization. He calls on the authorities to better integrate the Village des Arts into the label of this event, thus hoping for a more constructive collaboration and accumulated support for the infrastructures.
Despite a budget of one billion CFA francs allocated, criticism abounds regarding the preparatory materials and finances, deemed insufficient by the artists. Some recall that DAK’Art, initiated by the plastic arts community in 1992 and supported by the Senegalese state, has gained international notoriety, attracting creators from Africa, America and Europe.
The Dakar Biennale remains a flagship event for contemporary African arts, with a reach and influence that goes beyond the continent’s borders. The expectations of artists and the public for this edition are high, and many hope that the event will meet the organizational challenges and offer a worthy showcase of African art.
Lamine DIEDHIOU
