International Space Station Assembly
A Collective Construction Site

• Introduction
• CURATOR CURATOR
• LOCALISMS, Almere
• Los Angeles Works
• Cameroon CARGO
  • Preparation
  • Thinking about!
  • Meeting in France
  • Research containers in Douala
  • Participants
  • Blaise Bang
  • James Beckett
  • Marjolijn Dijkman
  • Paul Hendrikse
  • Dunja Herzog
  • Eric Van Hove
  • Claudia Wegener
  • Maarten Vanden Eynde
  • Publications
  • Pah'Bet - Dunja Herzog
  • Organisations
  • Artbakery
  • Cercle Kapsiki
  • Doual'Art
  • iStrike Foundation
  • Notebook
• Contrapolis, Rotterdam
• Europe2006
• Georgia Here We Come!

‘Thinking about!’ 27/28th January 2007, Rotterdam NL Collaboration of iStrike and Enough Room for Space

Doual'Art was visiting the Netherlands for a week within the Mondriaan Foundation's Visiting Programme. iStrike and Enough Room for Space have been pleased to introduce the work of doual'art to curators in Rotterdam and involve artists and operators in a debate on artistic projects in Douala in a two-days meeting. "Thinking About!" is an event organised by iStrike - partner of doual’art in setting up the SUD 2007 Programme and Ars&Urbis International Workshop (03-17 March 2007) - and Enough Room for Space - promoter of a collaborative project planned in Douala in December 2008.

SUD 2007 is a long-term programme with an international scope. SUD 2007 aims at promoting new perspectives on Douala and facilitating new site-specific interventions, while giving international visibility to the city and its cultural milieu.

Doual'Art is a no-profit organisation founded in 1991 in Douala, Cameroon and an experimental laboratory for new urban practices in African cities. Through site-specific urban interventions, doual’art works as an intermediary between social and economic actors, civil society and artists. It perceives cultural and artistic production as a tool for freedom of expression and social cohesion, which allows transcending and overcoming closures and cleavages. doual’art applies a participatory approach to cultural practices, discussing and negotiating with local communities, NGO’s and authorities the different needs and aspirations and involving artists as facilitators of development. The co-founders of doual’art are Marilyn Douala Bell and Didier Schaub.

"Thinking About!" is a two-days meeting. On Saturday 27th of January, doual'art  met with the curators in Rotterdam. On Sunday 28th, doual'art presented its work and discuss with the artists, architects and cultural operators, who will be involved in the cultural projects in Douala in 2007. Artists, such as James Beckett and Blaisse Bang, will take part in the round-table and will share their experiences.

Programme 27th Saturday (On invitation only)

15:00 at the Boijmans van Beuningen Marilyn Douala Bell and Didier Schaub will introduce Doual'Art to:

 Participants of the presentation

• Jean Patrice KOE jr. second secretary Ambassade Cameroon, The Hague
• Harco de Ridder (NL), freelancer (Mondriaan Foundation), Amsterdam
• Zoë Gray (GB), Witte de With, Rotterdam
• Caro Mendez (NL), attaché Prins Claus Fond, The Hague
• Pauline Burmann (NL), foundation Thami Mnyele, Amsterdam
• Patricia Pulles (NL), curator Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
• Daniela Roth (D), journalist/critic, Bonn
• Emiliano Gandolfi (IT), curator Nai, Rotterdam
• Mariëtte Dölle (programme director), TENT. Center for Visual Arts Rotterdam
• Lucia Babina (IT), iStrike Foundation (Ars&Urbis International workshop), Rotterdam
• Kamiel Verschuren (NL), iStrike Foundation (Ars&Urbis International workshop), Rotterdam
• Iolanda Pensa (IT), iStrike Foundation (Ars&Urbis International workshop), Milaan
• Marjolijn Dijkman (NL), artist (Enough Room for Space), Rotterdam
• Dunja Herzog (CH), artist (Enough Room for Space), Basel

20:00 Dinner (at Bazar, Witte de Withstraat)

28th Sunday (Open to the public)

14:00 Presentation: Enough Room for Space, Volmarijnstraat 105A

Participants: Alexander Vollebregt, Blaisse Bang, Christian Hanussek, Claudia Wegener, Daniela Roth, Didier Schaub, Dunja Herzog, Edgar Cleijne, Emiliano Gandolfi, Fiona Siegenthaler, Iolanda Pensa, James Beckett, Kamiel Verschuren, Lucia Babina, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Marjolijn Dijkman, Mique Eggermont, Stefaan Dheedene, Ulrike Bartels, Doua’lArt

Informal presentations

• doual’art, Douala Cameroon. http://site.voila.fr/cameroon_pics/decouvrir/doualart.html
• Blaisse Bang (member Cercle Kapsiki), Scenografie urbaine - presentation of the project http://www.eternalnetwork.org/scenographiesurbaines/
• James Beckett, The radiostation project in Douala 2003

Video screenings

Christian Hanussek, interview
Sandrine Dole and Goddy Leye, Bessengue City
Stefaan Dheedene, 3 videoworks made in Douala
20:00 Informal dinner and drinks (Bik vander Pol / Duende, Vaandrigstraat 10 p/a) Open to everyone!!

‘Thinking about!’ is made possible with the support of C.B.K. Rotterdam and thanks to The Boijmans van Beuningen

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The meeting took place in the Enough Room for Space's studio from 2 pm till 7 pm. Participants were around 20 people invited by iStrike and Enough Room for Space. The meeting was aimed to give an insight into the city of Douala and functioned as a preparatory gathering, mainly for the artists who are going to Douala either in March 2007 during the Ars et Urbis International Workshop or in December 2007 during SUD-Salon Urbain de Douala. The meeting has started with an introduction by Lucia Babina and Iolanda Pensa who told about the reasons of the preparatory meeting and explained the cultural and artistic context of Douala through a map which gives an insight into the different cultural organizations and initiavives in Douala.

Doual'Art (Marilyn Douala Bell and Didier Schaub) explained the context of Douala, told the story of the organization of doual'art and gave a short speech about the main projects they realised on public space. In particular they focused on La Nouvelle Liberté created by Joseph Soumégné:

La Nouvelle Liberté is the title of a 12-meter high sculpture on the middle of the Deïdo traffic circle, one of the major traffic junctions in Douala. The sculpture was put up in 1996 and has since become a landmark. When the artist Joseph Soumégné was commissioned by Doual’art to develop a concept for a sculpture for this place, he suggested that it be called »La Nouvelle Liberté«, as he wanted to create a piece of work on the theme of freedom, relating to the Statue of Liberty. The fact that the latter holds a flaming torch in her hand is a symbol of violence and destruction for Soumégné and in conflict with his understanding of freedom, which should always be free of violence. Soumégné had built the sculpture in a studio nearby at the marine base and cooperated on the technical aspects with a structural engineer. On a Sunday in July 1996 lots of curious people turned up to view the installation of the sculpture and expressed joy that an artwork was being put up. The initial positive response gave way to scepticism when they saw that the sculpture was made of metal waste, as they had hoped for something more beautiful, like a bronze statue. In addition, the press let it be known that the artists was a Bamiléké, form the west of Cameroon, which created further resentment, as this group is not well thought of and is viewed with prejudice. La Nouvelle Liberté became the object of perpetual controversy and, at the same time, also a trade-mark. It stands symbolically for the city’s ability to put together disparate materials and fragments and use them as a resource. It is to be seen on postcards, foreign journalists pose in front of it when reporting from Douala and rap groups use it for their video clips. Guinness even used it as a central image in it advertising, but without paying the artist a copyright fee. Soumégné wants people to question their idea of freedom. For him it is not pure and clean as the truth about people is not pure and clean. The artist says, »La Nouvelle Liberté« stands on one leg. This is strenuous, as is the maintenance of freedom. The right hand is that of violence and is pointing down. The left hand is the hand of wisdom and is held up. For me, violence and freedom do not go together. Wisdom is necessary, so that you respect the interests of others and find yourself reflected in others. That is why the figure of freedom has a mirror in place of a face. (Meanwhile in Africa..., Christian Hanussek)

On this occasion was screened the interview made by Christian Hanussek to the artist.

Doual'Art introduced also to the public the project Bessengue City, which took place in 2002 in Douala, in the quarter of Bessengue. The project itself is not a production of Doual'Art which acted as a partner. The project, in fact, was run by Goddy Leye and supported by the Rain program of the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. On this occasion James Beckett set up a radio station. James Beckett, who took part into the meeting, took over and spoke up his experience in Douala.

An experimental radio, with a range of one kilometer was installed by James Beckett and a group of youths. This group of youngsters designed the program and the jingle, conducted interviews and made various recordings. They could express themselves and be listened to attentively. The traditional chief of Bessengue, proud to host the first experiment of this kind in the city, brought two of his colleagues to be interviewed. Officials from the city council, who also came for a live interview, realised that the radio was an efficient means of developing the area. “Radio Bessengue City”, also called “Dikalo la Bessengue”, which means “the messenger of Bessengue”, has become, as one listener said, “the radio of the people by the people”.

James Beckett encouraged artists to be aware that Douala is indeed a difficult city but to not descourage and to be instead very active, as the inhabitants of Douala are most of the time very enthousiastic to be involved in challanging actions and initiatives in the city and for the city.

In the end Doual'Art introduced also the work of Cercle Kapsiki that is one of the artistic movements founded after the example of Doual'Art. The representative of the Cercle Kapsiki present during the meeting was Blaise Bang who held a lecture about this organisation and their projects, as for example Scénographie Urbaines.

In particular the questions of the artists, invited at the preparatory meeting, focused on the role of the arts in Douala and the importance of the artistic process in its urban context. Doual'Art specified that in Douala there is no academies or schools of Arts and that in general in Douala arts are not considered in relation with, for instance, art museums or cultural institutions, but in a more spontaneous way, as an ordinary public action at a urban level. This action is thus able to keep intact its outstanding strength and efficacy as indeed it is not institutionalized.

The goal of Doual'Art is to enlarge its network and to attract artists and cultural operators from all over the world, especially for two reasons:

• it is extremely important to use Douala as a platform in order to exchange thoughts and knowledge at a broader level and within different expertises and multiple identities;
• the gaze of an outsider on Douala it may be an opportunity to build up an unexpected and innovative vision of it.

video registration of the meeting: Rotterdam, 28th January 2007, Kamiel Verschuren