APA-Cotonou (Benin) The maiden edition of the International Festival of Benin (FinAB) has kept to its billing after attracting some 100, 000 visitors to running shows which put the small West African country back on the cultural and artistic map of Africa.
Dancers animating the streets with their energy to the rhythm of beating drums, Zangbeto dancing in a colorful whirlwind of almost mysterious cultural demonstrations while the sun at its zenith spitted its last rays of light on the nearly five km of alleys traversed in a historic Ouidah in full reconstruction.
This parade of Friday, February 17 will remain engraved in the memories as one of the most emblematic moments of the first edition of FInAB which closed its doors on Sunday, February 19.
This first edition ended with satisfaction, and it is not its visitors, “grateful for this unique opportunity to discover the artistic wealth of Benin;” who will say otherwise?
Tokp’art, FInAB’s beating heart
From February 14 to 19, 2023, Cotonou, Ouidah and Porto-Novo vibrated to the rhythms of drums, dances, conferences and artistic performances. In the course of six days, more than 100 artists from Africa displayed their talent to more than 100,000 visitors seduced by the cultural wealth of Benin.
“A festival of this magnitude is the first ever in Benin,” said Rabbi Tan Dah Mehou Bitan as he was visiting the site of the market Tokp’art, the heartbeat of the festival.
On the space of 10,000 square meters, Beninese and African culinary arts, visual arts, visitors, buyers of works of art have set themselves an appointment, with as a main course live concerts of Beninese artists every night.
Tokp’art, which refers to the large market Dantokpa of Cotonou, was more than 200 exhibitors and sellers of all types of arts for this maiden edition.
A flurry of artistic events
If the parade of Ouidah was the highlight of this edition, the festival was also marked by the launch of Gallery A at the Haie-Vive in Cotonou, with the notable presence of the Minister of Planning Abdoulaye Bio Tchane and special adviser to President Johannes Dagnon.
Ludovic Fadairo, renowned Beninese visual artist celebrating 55 years of his career, and his friends from Africa and elsewhere (Barthelemy Toguo, Tibari Kantour, Ousseiny Wade …), presented their works and discussed the prospects of art on the continent.
Also to be remembered is Saturday evening, during which the Ivorian artist Kerozen performed in concert, with the Teriba sisters, stars of Benin music, or the Guinean griot N’Faly Kouyate.
Also noteworthy of mention is the art exhibition entitled “When Fashion and Art Meet,” by Alphadi, a famous African fashion designer from Niger, and Ouardane, a Moroccan contemporary painter.
The exhibition was organised on February 14, in partnership with Oyemi Concept, to celebrate creativity and beauty in two different artistic fields.
The Phot’art Afro Festival, the first international art festival of contemporary photography in Benin, organised by Atelier Bossart Empire, was also a focal point of this great celebration.
It offered moments of exchange of experiences, bringing together specialists in this art.
The FInAB was also an opportunity to introduce Beninese artists – from professionals to simple enthusiasts – to the art of paper, at the Chinese Cultural Center in Benin. A hundred works by a dozen Beninese artists were exhibited, reflecting the daily life of the country’s inhabitants.
Sunday, the last day of the festival, was the climax with one of the most anticipated events: the Oyemi Meets Art fashion show, organised by Oyemi Concept, an open-air show that saw a plethora of elegantly dressed models parade on stage.
“With Oyemi Meets Art, we have created a space where two worlds, fashion and art, come together to celebrate the beauty, creativity and diversity that make our society rich,” Magali Dossa Homeky, the promoter of Oyemi Concept said.
Launching the Black Music Industry, the Empire group’s in-house label
This first edition also marked the start of Black Music Industry, the music production label of the group Empire.
“Black Music Industry will specialise in audiovisual production, music publishing, distribution, promotion, booking and artistic management,” said Auguste Amoussou, former manager of Beninese celebrities who was entrusted with the direction of the new structure.
Annual format
For Ousseyni Wade, a renowned Senegalese artist, curator of exhibitions during the festival, and especially secretary general of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar, the FInAB must be perpetuated to continue to promote Beninese art and culture beyond its borders.
A call that receives a favourable response from the organisation, especially since one of the biggest announcements of this first edition is its bold transition from a biennial format initially planned to an annual rhythm.
A readjustment that Ulrich Adjovi, its promoter, justifies: “We decided that FinAB would not be a biennial, it will be organized every year. This was motivated by the same reasons that pushed us to organise an event dedicated to all the arts. There are too many things to structure, too much talent to reveal and we are already behind. Each year one or two arts will be highlighted”.
While the Beninese government is intensifying its efforts to raise the country to the rank of tourist destination of choice by building on its artistic and cultural wealth, FInAB opens up new avenues for those active in the sector.
CP/fss/as/APA