KOUKA – The Bantu Warrior of the Republic
Gorée Island I DAK’ART Biennale I May 2016
In December 2010, while a group of squatters takes up an empty building in Paris, Kouka decides to create the first army of Bantu warriors: he paints 77 Bantus on all of the building’s windows.
The building is later bought to be turned into a five stars hotel, sealing the fate of the Bantus. Some windows are sold to benefit charities. The others are dismantled, with the help of the Montresso* foundation, meant to live a new life… A testimony of an ephemeral and monumental artwork, the installation of the Bantu warrior on Gorée island during the Dakar biennial symbolizes the return to the African soil of this community, dealing with the present topic of people’s migration as well as brotherhood.
No race, neither cultural, physical, nor social unity… simply BANTUS*. This open window is a symbol of freedom towards a better world.
