First World Festival of African Art in Dakar 1966
15 min.


WDR 1996, Rückblende
Beta SP, 4:3, Mono, German version
Kamera: Adam Ndiaye, Medoune Ndiaye
Schnitt: Karsten Hoffmann
Redaktion: Beate Schlanstein


The Dakar “Premier Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres” in 1966 was a cultural as well as political sensation: Artists, scientists and politicians from all over Africa and the African diaspora came together to perform a comprehensive show of black arts after 500 years of colonial oppression, presenting a wide range from ancient African sculptures to avant-garde experimental plays.

The black world celebrated their cultural autonomy with a gigantic three-week program of events. And they challenged the white world to acknowledge African art history and modern African art.
Several names became internationally recognized in the years to follow: Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate of 1986, Ousmane Sembène, the father of African cinema, and Ousmane Sow, the first African sculptor to appear at the Dokumenta in Kassel, Germany, in 1992.



> Der Künstler Ousmane Sow
> DAK’ART – Biennale zeitgenössischer afrikanischer Kunst in Dakar
> Premier Festival mondial des Arts nègres
> Ein Artikel zu Leopold S. Senghor