The grandeur and the miseries of the Ki-Yi village of Abidjan
Audio 19:30
WereWere Liking, writer, playwright, painter, Cameroonian led the Ki-Yi village for 36 years.
© François Hume / RFI
By: François Hume-Ferkatadji Follow
1 min
Unique, mysterious and prestigious: this artists' village, located in the Riviera 2 district in Abidjan, has brought out big names in dance, music, or West African theater, including Boni Gnahoré, Bomou Mamadou, Dobet Gnahoré, Didi B or Black K… In the mid-1980s, the Cameroonian writer WereWere Liking and a handful of utopian and determined artists, laid the foundations of this ambitious project: a center of artistic excellence and a place of life community.
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In just a few years, the Pan-African village acquired an aura and respectability on the regional and international cultural scene.
But, years later, some residents also recount the excesses of the management against artists, poorly regarded and poorly treated.
More than political crises, it is above all these serious internal difficulties that will put a stop to the cultural and pan-African utopia of the Ki-Yi village.
“Grandeur et mères du village Ki-Yi d'Abidjan”, a Grand Reportage by François Hume-Ferkatadji.
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