A Country in the Spotlight: Cultural Series at Ge'eza, Dakar

"A Country in the Spotlight" ("Un pays à l'honneur" in French) is a series Ge'eza created to invite one African culture at a time to take over its villa in Point E, Dakar. Each edition brings together works by artists from the guest country in the gallery, an opening night, a brunch with live music and a small market of makers. The first edition featured Cape Verde from 21 to 30 August 2026. The second welcomed Sudan, with a final highlight on Saturday 3 October 2026.

The idea behind the series

Ge'eza means "home" in Ge'ez, and the house describes itself as a bridge between two Africas, the Ethiopian and the Senegalese. The spotlight series stretches that bridge a little further. Rather than scattering one-off parties across the calendar, the house picks one country at a time and gives it several days to tell its story: through painting, music, food and objects you can hold and take home.

The principle is plain. One country, its artists, a weekend of encounters and a few days to come and look at the work. The guests are not performers of folklore. They are working artists and makers, often trained or based elsewhere, showing their work to a Dakar audience and to the many visitors who pass through Point E.

What an edition includes

Each edition follows a loose structure, adapted to the guest country.

• The exhibition. Works are shown in the gallery, the villa's salon, among the canvases already on the walls. Prices are given on request, and every work sold leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.
• The vernissage. A first evening to see the work hung, ideally before the room fills.
• The brunch with live music. On a Saturday or a Sunday, the terrace under the trees hosts a table with flavours from the guest country, and musicians.
• The small market. Makers and craftspeople show their pieces, so you can take home something better than a mass-produced souvenir.

Prices depend on the occasion. For Cape Verde, the opening on Friday 21 August was free from 5pm to 7pm, followed by a DJ set at 2,000 FCFA, and the Sunday 30 August brunch was 2,000 FCFA. For Sudan, the Saturday 3 October brunch was 2,000 FCFA.

Edition one: Cape Verde

Cape Verde opened the cycle. The exhibition showed works by Olio, a visual artist of Cape Verdean origin. The opening led into a DJ set with Gee Bayss from 7pm to midnight, then, on Sunday 30 August from 11am, a brunch with live music, BBQ, cachupa and feijoada, and a small craft market. The full story is on the page A Country in the Spotlight: Cape Verde.

Edition two: Sudan

The next edition presented works by Israa Hamad and Yasmeen Abdalah. Its last highlight, on Saturday 3 October 2026 from 11am to 9pm, was a brunch with live music by Mildah, alongside a small artisans' market, with a 2,000 FCFA entry. Details are on the Sudan brunch page.

Why the table matters as much as the walls

Cultural diplomacy is often pictured as embassies, speeches and official receptions. It also happens, more quietly, over a dish people share. Ge'eza is an Ethiopian restaurant before it is a gallery: you eat from the injera with your hands, drink coffee prepared in three rounds, and meet people who might never have spoken elsewhere.

Inviting a country to that table changes the conversation. A Dakar resident tasting cachupa, an expat discovering a Sudanese musician, a Point E neighbour leaving with a handmade object: these are small gestures, yet they build ties that outlast a press release. For more on the role of such places, read our piece on cultural diplomacy in Dakar.

What the series is not

It is not a trade fair or a large festival. The house remains a villa with a gallery salon, a glass-roofed room and a terrace, so the scale is that of a gathering, not a crowd. Nor is it a political statement. The editions are about art, music, cooking and craft, and every visitor takes from them what they wish.

How to follow future editions

Confirmed dates appear on the events page and in the calendar, which offers a subscribable calendar and an .ics file you can add to your phone. The house's monthly letter also lists upcoming highlights.

Visiting

Ge'eza is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, and closed on Monday, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E. To have lunch or dinner before or after a visit, book on the reservation page or message on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07. Groups and delegations who want a quiet table can say so when booking.