Fez — As Morocco hosts the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, artistic initiatives across the country are extending the tournament’s spirit beyond stadiums and into cultural/artistic spaces.
Among them, “La Traversée” (“The Crossing,”) a collective exhibition organized by Yiiri Creative, opened on December 26 at DaDa Marrakech, offering a powerful artistic reflection on African identities, heritage, and circulation across borders.
Held at DaDa Marrakech at Jamaa el Fna, the exhibition brings together six artists from Mali, Morocco, and the African diaspora: Cheick Diallo, Hafida Zizi, Ibrahim Bemba Kébé, Mamadou Thienta, Nybé Ponzio, and Smail Kanouté. The show unfolds as a visual and conceptual journey, echoing the idea of “crossing” suggested by its title, whether geographic, cultural, or symbolic.
African creation between tradition and innovation
A central figure of the exhibition, Cheick Diallo is one of Africa’s most influential designers. Trained in architecture in Rouen and later at Paris’ National School of Industrial Creation, Diallo has built an international career rooted in the reuse of local and “poor” materials such as recycled metal, wood, textiles, and plastics. Founder of the African Designers Association, his work bridges contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship, relying on the expertise of Malian artisans while addressing sustainability and cultural continuity.
Moroccan artist Hafida Zizi brings a deeply personal and narrative dimension to the exhibition. A self-taught painter and sculptor from the Middle Atlas, Zizi is known for her vibrant, naïve-style works centered on Amazigh women and daily life. Her art, characterized by intense color palettes and recurring symbolic motifs such as large protective eyes, reflects both resilience and tenderness. Zizi’s international recognition has grown steadily, with major exhibitions in Morocco and abroad, and long-term showcases at the Museum of Women in Marrakech.
Emerging voices and multidisciplinary practices
Representing a younger generation, Malian artist Ibrahim Bemba Kébé explores identity, tradition, and environmental concerns through painting and sculpture. A graduate of the Balla Fasséké Kouyaté Conservatory in Bamako, Kébé draws inspiration from Korèdugaw philosophy and recycled materials, blending ancestral references with contemporary forms to question African modernity and rebirth.
Mamadou Thienta’s work adds a symbolic and material depth to the exhibition. Known for paintings and installations inspired by calabash weaving, his practice uses repair and mending as metaphors for reconciliation, resilience, and collective healing. His works transform fragile materials into powerful reflections on history and human connection.
Photographer Nybé Ponzio, a French-Malian artist based in Mali, contributes a documentary-like — yet also poetic — gaze. His photographic series focuses on African and Afro-descendant cultures, documenting rituals, architecture, fashion, and artistic scenes while challenging dominant narratives and stereotypes through an African-centered perspective.
Completing the lineup, Smail Kanouté brings a multidisciplinary approach that merges choreography, graphic design, film, and performance. A graduate of Paris’ National School of Decorative Arts and a self-taught dancer, Kanouté’s work explores Black identities, memory, and spirituality through movement and visual storytelling, often bridging contemporary art and performative practices.
Art in dialogue with AFCON 2025
By taking place during AFCON 2025, “La Traversée” aligns artistic expression with a major continental moment. The exhibition positions culture as an essential counterpart to sport, emphasizing shared histories, creative circulation, and the plurality of African voices.
Through diverse mediums and generations, the show reflects Africa not as a singular narrative but as a dynamic space of crossings and continuities. In doing so, “La Traversée” reinforces Marrakech’s role as a cultural crossroads and highlights how contemporary African art continues to shape conversations far beyond the football pitch.
