Cape Verde Exhibition in Dakar: Olio, Opening Night, Brunch

From 21 to 30 August 2026, Ge'eza devoted the first edition of "A Country in the Spotlight" to Cape Verde. The programme: an exhibition of works by Olio, a visual artist of Cape Verdean origin; an opening night on Friday 21 August from 5pm to 7pm, free to enter; a DJ set by Gee Bayss from 7pm to midnight (2,000 FCFA); then a brunch with live music on Sunday 30 August from 11am, with flavours of Cape Verde, for 2,000 FCFA. Here is what stands out.

A first for the house

"A Country in the Spotlight" is new for Ge'eza: one African culture is invited for a run of events rather than a single evening. Cape Verde was the first country chosen. For the general idea, read our overview of the spotlight series.

The choice is natural for anyone looking at a map. The Cape Verde islands lie in the Atlantic, a few hundred kilometres off the Senegalese coast, and Dakar is the large capital on the nearest stretch of the mainland. Two neighbours across the water, with different histories, and a Creole language alongside the official one on the Cape Verdean side: there was a lot to show and a lot to talk about.

Olio in the gallery salon

The exhibition presented works by Olio, a visual artist of Cape Verdean origin. We say no more about the artist's path than what appears on the profile page, and we would rather point you there than invent anything: the Olio page gathers the available information.

What we can describe is the setting. The works hung in the villa's gallery salon, with white walls, soft light and sofas to sit in front of the canvases. It is a room that invites you to stay. You can look at one piece for ten minutes, step away, compare it with another, then talk it over with the team. Prices are given on request, and every work sold leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.

The opening night and the DJ set

On Friday 21 August the house opened its doors from 5pm to 7pm, free of charge, for the vernissage. It was a chance to see the work in calm and enjoy the terrace under the trees before dusk.

At 7pm the evening changed pace with a DJ set by Gee Bayss, running until midnight, at 2,000 FCFA. That second half gave the event its party side, an opening that carries on into the night, which fits how people go out in Dakar. For a wider view of the options, see Dakar evenings out.

The 30 August brunch: cachupa and feijoada

The closing took place on Sunday 30 August from 11am: a brunch with live music, flavours of Cape Verde (BBQ, cachupa, feijoada) and a small craft market, 2,000 FCFA at the door.

Cachupa is the archipelago's signature dish, a slow stew of maize and beans, enriched with meat or fish depending on the household. Feijoada, a bean dish found across several Portuguese-speaking cuisines, also belongs to the Cape Verdean table. The BBQ rounded out a menu made for sharing. There is a kinship with what Ge'eza serves every day: slow stews eaten together, beans and pulses that keep you going. Injera, beyaynetu and cachupa each tell the pleasure of a shared table in their own way. For the Ethiopian side of the kitchen, see the Ethiopian food guide.

What Cape Verde brings to Dakar

Abroad, Cape Verde is best known for its music. Morna, the archipelago's sung genre, was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2019, and the singer Cesária Évora, born in Mindelo, carried it far beyond the Atlantic. But the country also has painters, visual artists, photographers and a large diaspora, which makes its creative scene wider than its islands.

Showing a Cape Verdean artist in Dakar reminds us that West African creativity does not stop at the mainland shore. It also lets visitors move from one world to another in a single evening, with a little Creole in the air and Ethiopian coffee at the end of the meal. The scene is covered in more depth in our article on contemporary Cape Verdean art.

After the exhibition

The Cape Verdean edition is over. To find out whether any works by Olio are still available, message us on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 or visit the gallery: the team will tell you what is on view and what can be reserved. The house's next dates are on the events page, as soon as they are confirmed.

The house is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, at 656 avenue Birago Diop, Point E, and closed on Mondays.

Why keep a record of an edition

An exhibition lasts a few days, and what happened there is quickly forgotten. Looking back at an edition keeps a memory of what the house hosted, with exact dates, times and prices, rather than vague recollections. It is also a way to invite readers along next time, knowing what to expect: an open opening, a livelier evening, a brunch with music, a market.