Promoting Street Art in Tambacounda
Nov 15, 2022
Art is an essential part of Le Korsa’s work, from running the artists’ residency at Thread to supporting art classes at Les Foyers des Tambacounda. A new initiative, led by Tambacounda office director Massamba Camara, is to enliven public spaces across Tambacounda by contracting artists to paint murals on the city’s walls, and to do so with input from the population.
As Massamaba writes, “In a city where the formal education rate is low and we have many local languages, promoting visual art can be a means of communicating and also making the city more attractive. The aim of the paintings is to highlight some important challenges that we face.”
Of the painting above, Massamba says, “This first one is about the national park, Niokolo koba. It shows the importance of protecting rare animals. Part of protecting rare animals and wildlife in general is to protect the trees and the flora. That’s what explains the kind of dialogue between this painting and the green space. It’s like the animal is hidden behind the two planted trees.”
We hope to have artists paint two more sites this fall; what follows below is an exhibition, with Massamba’s explanations, of some of the work achieved so far. The paintings were made by Aliou Niang, an English teacher and artist.
“The three paintings above are in the same site as the Niokolo koba painting in the green space next to the national road. The first is about the Senegambian megaliths, which are an important part of our historical and cultural heritage but are unknown largely; the second celebrates organic bananas, a product that can improve the economy of the region of Tambacounda; and the third painting represents the Senegalese soccer player Sadio Mane and the Africa Cup of Nations, which Senegal won for the first time this year”
“These two paintings are at the school in front of the Foyers de Tambacounda. They are done at the request of the parents’ association. To me, it constitutes a positive feedback from the population. The parents’ association asked for paintings that could sensitize against violence, and promote education and cleanliness in the JEAN XIII primary school. Furthermore, they paid for half of the cost.”
These paintings, combined with the landscaping and tree-planting Le Korsa has undertaken in the city this year, represent significant contributions to Tambacounda’s public spaces. It is just the beginning. The two sites that Massamaba and his team plan to paint this fall are shown below, and we hope you will consider making a donation to help us purchase paint, primer and brushes.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for looking — we couldn’t do it without you.
