On April 13th, the MASA 2024 opened with a bang! Speeches, art, dance, and pan-African unity were all on display for this year’s opening ceremony. 

By Abou Adams 

« Feet in the culture, head in the future ». This clever phrase, uttered by the slam duo Amee and Bee-Joe during their performance at the MASA 2024 opening ceremony on Saturday April 13, resonates strongly with the event’s inaugural show. For the many spectators in attendance, it was a journey to the heart of African culture, from Côte d’Ivoire to Rwanda. 

In a magical atmosphere, and on the esplanade of the Palais de la Culture Bernard Dadié – transformed into a modest coliseum for the occasion – thousands of spectators and artists vibrated to the rhythm of African performing arts, under the admiring gaze of a proud government delegation led by Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé. Dance, song, rap, slam and artistic frescos were on the menu of this rhythmic stroll that heralded the colors of the MASA 2024 festivities.

Africa in all its diversity

As soon as the speeches were over, the National Ballet of Rwanda, the MASA’s guest of honor, opened the proceedings. The first notes of the drums and the entrance on stage of the singers and dancers, dressed in their traditional, white Rwandan ceremonial garb, drew shouts and applause from the audience, delighted to welcome this internationally-recognized artistic troupe. 

After Rwanda, it’s was the Ivory Coast in all its artistic and cultural diversity that took to the stage for over an hour of entertainment by four great Ivorian choreographers: Hassan Kouyaté, Gadoukou La Star, Adiatou Massidi, Bacombe Niaba and rapper Mosty.  

Between drums, percussion, and balafons, dancers, singers and lyricists offered a recital to the audience at the Palais de la Culture. From female dancers performing martial arts choreography as a tribute to the special guest country (South Korea), to traditional Ivorian dances, zaouli masks and performances by artists such as Suspect 95, DJ Mix, Roseline Layo and Didi B, this show concocted by our four choreographers lived up to all its promises. An ecstatic audience sang along to the hit songs of the performers. 

A phenomenal fresco 

The other highlight of the ceremony was the phenomenal artistic fresco performed on stage at MASA 2024. An emotionally-charged spectacle that saw a giant inflatable elephant, the symbol of the Ivorian nation, and a giant inflatable dove, the symbol of peace in Côte d’Ivoire, fly through the air as spectators looked on in admiration. Thanks to the magic of the artistry, an elephant could be seen towering above the stage, demonstrating the strength of the Ivorian nation in its diversity. 

This opening ceremony was a moment of pure joy. It also laid the foundations for the laurels that MASA 2024 will win, following the example of the CAN, recently organized by Côte d’Ivoire. 

For choreographer and MASA ambassador Gadoukou La Star, the opening show demonstrates Africa’s cultural diversity, with its traditions and youthful modernity. « We can draw inspiration from our traditions to create something new in the modern world. This explains the dances, drums and masks you saw at the beginning of the show, as well as the performances by young artists (rap, slam…) at the end, » he explained.