MASA, Africa’s grand performing arts feast, opens in Abidjan

The 11th edition of the Market for Abidjan Performing Arts (MASA) opened yesterday in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire.

MASA, a cultural platform for promoting African performing arts, brings together yearly young and established artists from across the continent. It also aims at supporting creativity and good quality productions.

It is also designed to facilitate the movement of artists and their works within Africa and throughout the rest of the world as well as help in training artists and key professionals in the field of art production.

The market, which holds between March 7 and 14, shall be assembling 192 artistic group, 1094 local artists, and 458 professionals from across Africa, Europe and America. Over 250 journalists were also invited from 49 countries of the world.

Meanwhile, over 125 companies in music, dance, drama, storytelling, comedy, and animation will be exploiting the business opportunities inherent in the festival that has been tagged as the biggest art market in Africa.

Beyond cultural performances and exhibitions is the huge cultural market, which serves as the economic base of the festival.

As last Friday, several countries have arrived in the country with their wares, ready for business in arts and culture.

“It is a market where festival managers and programmers from across the world come to shop and buy troupes for their projects”, said the organisers.

The opening ceremony, performed yesterday by the country’s Vice President, Kablan Duncan, attracted other dignitaries and stakeholders in the culture sector, including the Culture Minister, Maurice Bandama and MASA Director, Professor Yacouba Konate.

Atanda and The Agrojazz Messengers will represent Nigeria at the event. Recall that Ade Bantu and The Agberos, as well as the saxophonist, Seun Olota and his band, had represented Nigeria in the past.