By Edourad Toure

During six days of festivities, the Beninese cultural and artistic scene will vibrate to the rhythm of colours, sounds, dances, literary meetings.

Notable names in African arts are already present at the scene and 10,000 visitors should parade each day on all sites of the festival, from Cotonou to Porto-Novo and Ouidah.

“It was time that Benin had a platform for exhibition and expression of its genius to the world.”

It is with these words by Ulrich Adjovi, CEO of the Empire Group, that the gong of the first edition of the Benin International Arts Festival was sounded on February 14 in Cotonou, by Oswald Homéky, Minister of Sports, who represented his colleague Jean-Michel Abimbola, Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism, also sponsor of the event.

It will include conferences, experience sharing, exhibitions, openings, fashion shows, concerts, parades. This first edition that begins with brilliance looks to be a “meeting of lovers of our cultural wealth, the fruit of passion for art, culture, talent and Beninese and African geniuses,” said the successful entrepreneur, also promoter of the festival the first ideas of which germinated only nine ago months.

“The idea of FInAB came to me during a visit to the ECOWAS headquarters in Burkina Faso. The Burkinabe spoke of Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), the Ivorians of Urban Music Festival of Anoumabo (FEMUA), but in Benin we no longer had a festival of this importance. The FInAB cropped up nine months after this visit,” he revealed.

For Ousseynou Wade, curator of the exhibitions of FInAB, “organizing this event in less than nine months, is boldness from Ulrich Adjovi with his willingness to create here in Benin a festival of international dimension, when we know that events of this nature are prepared in more than 2 years.”

He went on to say that “the ambition is now to build a family around this festival, to sow the seed so that this festival which is in its first edition is organised regularly with the same quality of organisation.”

Tokp’art, the heart of FInaB

Thus, from February 14 to 19, 2023, whether in Cotonou, Porto-Novo or Ouidah, we announce a hundred artists from around the world, more than 200 exhibition booths throughout the country, nearly 100 activities spread over ten sites … The heart of the festival itself, &it is the market Tokp’art, the market of the arts …,” Ulrich Adjovi said.

For six days, this imposing place of exchange, which spreads over 10,000 square meters at the Fidjrosse beach in Cotonou, will become a point of convergence for Beninese and African culinary arts, and the African art industry, in an artistic setting where a rich palette of programs alternates from morning to evening.

“The FInAB is a festival market where talents from different arts come to perform for performing arts buyers.”

In total, the organisers of this art extravaganza expect “10,000 visits per day starting Wednesday, (day two, Editor”s note), to all venues and the market.”

On the side of the participants, the expectation is high.

“I am eager to see how our works will be received,” said a young exhibitor met on the site of Tokp’art.

The much-awaited great Nigerien designer Alphadi, told reporters “I am convinced that the FInAB will be a real lever to lay the foundations of an industry of culture, art and textiles in Benin. Benin has an immense cultural heritage.”

As the headline act of this edition, his performance rich in colours and emotions was one of the poles of attraction of the first day.

All the arts, but the plastic arts and music on show

Speaking to reporters, Ulrich Adjovi justified his choice to make this multi-arts festival: “We chose all the arts. For this first, it is the visual arts that are highlighted and secondly music. Each year, we will take one or two that we will showcase. There are so many quality artists who need visibility.  This year, you saw the array of personalities from the visual arts world that came out. Next year’s edition, maybe it will be in ten cities, depending on the budget”.

Awards for the great names of Beninese arts

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of awards to various people who have marked the history of the arts in Benin. On the stage were Beninese artists who have shone in their respective fields, including the singer Angelique Kidjo, represented for the occasion by her brother, singers Sagbohan Danialou and Nel Oliver or the dancer Rachelle Agossou, to receive their trophies for “achievements and services to the nation …”

The FInAB hosts several other events, including a conference-debate on fashion organised by Oyemi Fashion with the participation of Alphadi, a masterclass on photography led by the workshop Boss’Art, or conferences-debates led by Ludovic Fadairo, Barthelemy Toguo, Ousseynou Wade, Franck Kacou, Mamby Diomande, among others.