Okayafrica touched down in Senegal last month and teamed up with the Dakar-based art center/collective Les Petites Pierres and the Sisi La Famille crew for a special two-day Dakar edition of Electrafriqe.
Our weekend kicked off at Cunimb, a former concert hall belonging to the Senegalese Air Force and a regular spot back in the day for legendary bands such as Orchestra Baobab. Inside the venue, Everyday People‘s DJ Moma, all the way from New York City, and Okayafrica fam and Electrafrique founder DJ Cortega, freshly relocated to Dakar, led a high-energy dance party that also featured sets by the Dakar-based DJ Psyle and Fat Baker. Outside, Siaka Soppo Traoré operated an interactive photo studio (more on that on the next page).
Sunday, Everyday Afrique made its Dakar debut with a brunch at Les Petites Pierres.
Go inside Electrafrique Dakar with DJ Cortega and DJ Moma in a new video directed by Loic Hoquet. Follow our friends from @DakarLives for more photos from the weekend.
Update 2/26: Listen to Cortega's full Okayafrica Electrafrique Dakar mix below. Head here - Okayafrica Electrafrique Dakar for the full tracklisting, featuring Dex Kwasi, Joey B, Boddhi Satva, DJ Satelite and more.
Photos by Siaka Traoré, Jean-Baptiste Joire and Bizenga Da Silvio (@bizengabiz) for @DakarLives.
Siaka Soppo Traoré is a rising star on the Senegalese photography scene who's been actively documenting street arts and urban dance in particular. His latest collection was featured at Paris’ 2015 Photoquai exhibition.
In a pop-up studio organized around the Okayafrica Electrafrique event, Traoré photographs Dakar's new generation of artists. You may even spot a few familiar faces in the images below, including SUNU Street Project's Khoudia Toure and her Mer Noire urban dance crew, fashion designer Selly Raby Kane, "Afro-hypnotique expérimental" producer Ibaaku a.k.a. Staaz, who just released his album Alien Cartoon on Akwaaba Music, photographer Djibril Drame and Mwami fashion designer and painter Papi.
The studio set, designed by Look, is part of a series of similar activities hosted by Dakar's Petites Pierres art collective.