Three weeks before its inauguration, the Dakar Biennale announced that the event was delayed by six months. Initially scheduled for May 16 to June 16, the event dedicated to contemporary African creation has just been rescheduled from November 7 to December 7, 2024. IN question, the lack of payment of the money promised by the Senegalese state, coupled with the political crisis that has shaken the country in recent months.
“This postponement is due to the desire of the new authorities in charge of the sector to organize the Biennale in optimal conditions”, we can read in the press release from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture of Senegal dated Thursday April 25. For several days the local press had been reporting the possibility of a postponement due to the State’s failure to finance the event. According to a member of the Dak’Art organizing committee, the government has to date paid less than a third of the budget of 1.5 billion CFA francs (2.3 million euros) planned for the event. . This lack of cash would compromise the transport of works of art, the publication of the catalog and the accommodation of participating artists who come from all over the world.
The ministry also mentions “the constraints and hazards induced by the national and international context”. Last February, the “Senegalese democratic model” was jeopardized when Macky Sall, then at the head of Senegal since 2012, tried to suspend the presidential election scheduled for later this month. This decision provoked numerous large-scale demonstrations throughout the country. His opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye was finally elected president on March 24, in the first round, which appointed his mentor Ousmane Sanko to the post of Prime Minister.
Created in 1990, the Dakar Biennale is one of the most important events dedicated to contemporary African art. It welcomed more than 300,000 visitors in 2022. For its 15th edition, the exhibition is organized around the theme “The Wake”, under the direction of the Franco-Senegalese exhibition curator. Salimata Diop. Five-eight African and diaspora artists will present their creations, combining sculpture, painting, photography, sound arts and textile art. Official “IN” exhibitions will be scheduled as usual, with this year the United States and Cape Verde as guest countries of honor. An exhibition by Moroccan designer Hicham Lahlou (born in 1973) is notably planned at the former Palais de Justice in Dakar. Private “OFF” events will also take place at several locations across the city and across the country.
