An emerging art
Painting and sculpture are only just beginning to make an impression in Djibouti, where the Muslim religion forbids the depiction of people and animals.
Above all, Djiboutian artists draw their inspiration from everyday life and nomadic life: two sources of inspiration that are as immediate as they are inexhaustible. Often very colorful, the paintings of local artists are becoming increasingly popular, especially with tourists. Painters include Khalil Massori, God Djama Elmi, Mouhoumed Mohamed Houssein, Nawal Awad, Fouad Daoud Youssouf, Sid Ali, Rifki, Omar Moubine, Oubah Hamod Hassan... Fewer in number, sculptors draw their inspiration from nomadic craftsmen or villagers who make figurines, an activity reserved for men.
There are currently no museums in the country, so visitors interested in local art should approach the artists directly. Paintings are exhibited in painters' homes, in private homes, and are also sometimes shown at the Institut français de Djibouti.
Djama Elmi God
The Djiboutian painter was born in 1948 in the plain of Gerissa (Somaliland) and died in 1996 in Djibouti. From an early age, his father noticed his gift for sculpture. By the age of 5, he was already skilfully working with clay, which earned him a place at school in Ethiopia. Later, when he moved to Mogadishu, the Somali government awarded him a scholarship that enabled him to fly to Italy. He decided to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna. Back in Somalia, he joined the Ministry of Culture, then moved to Djibouti in 1977. He became a teacher at a secondary school in the capital, a post he held for the rest of his life. After starting out as a sculptor, he turned to painting as a means of expression. In the meantime, the man who defied authority went through a difficult period politically. Nevertheless, he exhibited his paintings at the UN and created the two sculpted lions that guard the entrance to the Djibouti headquarters. His graphic talents and sense of color led him to create logos, book illustrations, stamps and caricatures for the daily La Nation. For years, he shared his analysis of Djiboutian society through his recurring character Samireh, an urbanized nomad. In his paintings, he liked to depict ordinary people caught up in their daily lives, like a water carrier.
His artist's name, God, refers to the black mamba. To this day, he remains a major figure in Djiboutian art, the only artist to have achieved international recognition and made a living from his art The artist with the magic brush" remains a role model for the younger generation.
Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama
Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama came to painting through politics. Born in Djibouti in 1954, he was appointed Djibouti's first Ministry of Culture from 1999 to 2005. During his tenure, he worked hard to develop art and support the status of artists. He founded Djibouti's first art gallery, Galerie God. His aim was to promote the work of painters and provide a fertile ground for the emergence of new talent. His desire to build a home for the art scene also led to the creation of the Institut djiboutien des arts in 2004. Focused more on training and professionalization in the arts, the institute offers courses in music, drama and visual arts. He also initiated the Djibouti Theatre Festival. Until the end of his life, Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama welcomed visitors to his studio. He presented his paintings while recounting his fight for culture. His paintings are like an open door to his imagination. His warmly hued shapes and figures flow instinctively onto the canvas, while his faces are shrouded in mystery.
Women painters
Nawal Awad's career is an exception. A professional painter, this lady is a pioneer in her country. After studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Belgium, she became an art teacher at the CFPEN in Djibouti. She became involved in art education for the youngest members of the community, multiplying the number of art workshops she organized.
Her first exhibition took place in 1998 at the Sheraton Hotel. It was then that she unveiled a series of canvases on themes expressing both her artistic commitment and her fight for women's rights. Through her paintings, she raises awareness of the setbacks to women's traditional status, with subjects such as genital mutilation. From the outset, her stance was supported by the daily newspaper La Nation. She went on to win numerous accolades. Djibouti's first woman of influence continues to teach and work on the theme of the female body.
The new generation is led by Oubah Hamod Hassan (www.instagram.com/oubahham). A Djiboutian woman painter, she exercises her talent in the fields of plastic arts, decoration, drawing, tattoos and gastronomy. In 2019, she will be exhibiting a series of highly sensitive painted portraits reminiscent of pointillism.
Initiatives in favour of the arts
Following in the footsteps of Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama, the tone is set to raise awareness of artistic practices, particularly in schools. In 2018, UNICEF organized a 4-day introductory photography workshop open to children of all backgrounds. The art of photography remains very little represented in Djibouti, and the younger generation was able to discover a means of expression likely to carry their word. It remains to be hoped that the initiative has sparked vocations. A number of venues in Djibouti regularly organize workshops and exhibitions (Institut français de Djibouti, Villa Camille), providing an opportunity to discover the artists and photographers of the moment.
