My Beautiful Dakar
Standing in the long line on the second big snowstorm of the year (Feb. 8, 2010), I pick up a March copy of Elle Décor to past the time and still my impatience. I am pleasantly surprised to see on the Twelve Things I Can’t Do Without, a beautiful photo of Thelma Golden, the director of the Studio Museum in Harlem. I do not know her but I know of her and so I am excited to read what is important to her world. I am not disappointed because she brings in a world view and a diversity that one does not often see in a magazine like Elle Décor. She references the Nigerian architect, David Adjaye, who constructed an interesting condo for a couple and I am reminded that he is the one who was selected for the future African-American museum on the mall here.
She also mentions a Nigerian clothing designer, Duro Olowu who is also her husband. Most exciting for me is that she mentions my favorite African city, Dakar, Senegal. She writes, “It has this incredible energy, a mix of past and present. It’s a city that opens and reveals itself beautifully.” And I am suddenly longing to be there, to feel its vibrancy and color, the grace and elegance of the women and men, the flowing boubous, the greetings as friends and relatives meet on the street, its oceans with the waves slamming against the beach, the young people exercising in the evening, the sun rising over Goree Island, the proliferation of arts and artists, crafts and crafts people on the road, in the markets in little cul de sacs. Am I going on and on? Yes, because Dakar is indeed beautiful to me.
Dakar, like any city, opens itself slowly. I have been going there and searching out artists and craftspeople for the last ten years. Each time I go, there is something new, and now new areas of the city are becoming art centers. Ten years ago, my first stop was Rue Mohamed V, a vast row of shops selling African arts and crafts of all sorts. I made wonderful finds there including a beautiful Mauritanian carrying a rack that had been turned into a glass topped table. Unfortunately, Rue Mohamed V is now only a remnant of what it was. Several new areas along the Corniche (Almade and Point E) have become a hub for arts and crafts. One of my favorites is a bed and breakfast called Ambre which has attached a beautiful boutique with mostly contemporary crafts but has a section for antiques, especially old jewelry pieces.
Ambre Hotel in Dakar
It also show paintings by Senegalese artists. One of my regulars, Awa Seck has also moved to this area and opened a boutique called “Galerie Syseck.” She has a wonderful entrepreneurial spirit and is always trying something new, whether it is shopping bags from Madagascar or a new design on her mudcloth scarves ( both available here). In downtown Dakar, I visit Arte owned by Joelle Bussy who has taken her furniture pieces to Paris and New York. I am hoping to bring in some of her pieces in the future.
Furniture from Arte
It is impossible to close before talking about the artists there. Many are found in the Village des Artes. It doesn’t seem to be well known but is a great place to meet artists and buy art. It is a little outside the city, next to the big football stadium. It is as its name suggests, a village of and artists supported by the Senegalese government. There are at least 20 artists there, some with national reputations such as Moussa Tine, Djibril Ndiaye, and Mamadou Wade. The grounds themselves are an art heaven as many of the artists have art in their small gardens.
There are other artists in the city whose acquaintance I have made and whose art I have purchased. I still remember meeting Souleymane Keita and purchasing a piece from him in 2000. He has continued to do international exhibits and I understand now is writing a biography.
Irene's own Keita
The next Art Biennale will be held in May of this year and I have already made my reservation. If there is a time for an art lover to be in Senegal, this is it. Artists from the entire continent will be there and you never kow who you will find standing beside you. In 2006, I was looking at a Nigerian Exhibit and asked about Bruce Onobrokpaya and was told he was behind me.
Bruce Onobrokpaya
On a day with the tree branches laden with snow, the wind whistling, and the only sound that of a snow plow futiley pushing snow before it as more comes down, I imagine getting off the plane in the early morning hours (5:40 a.m.), in hailing that wonderful scent and warmth of Dakar, making the drive along the Corniche, perhaps seeing vaguely the Mosque de la Divinite down the cliff, reaching the city, tired but excited and finally for breakfast, a sweet mango. Bliss.
The Lighthouse
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Tags: Almade, Ambre, Art Biennale, Arte, Bruce Onobrokpaya, Dakar, David Adjaye, Djibril Ndiaye, Duro Olowu, Galerie Syseck, IFAN, Joelle Bussy, Mamadou Wade, Moussa Tine, Point E, Senegal, Souleymane Keita, Studio Museum Harlem, Thelma Golden, village des arts
What a beautiful picture of Dakar you paint, both with words and pictures! I have always wanted to visit Dakar. Now I feel compelled to schedule specific dates to go.