Sudan Exhibition in Dakar: Israa Hamad, Yasmeen Abdalah

After Cape Verde, Ge'eza devoted an edition of "A Country in the Spotlight" to Sudan. It presented works by Israa Hamad and Yasmeen Abdalah in the gallery salon and ended with a final highlight on Saturday 3 October 2026, from 11am to 9pm: a brunch with live music by Mildah and a small artisans' market, 2,000 FCFA at the door. This article looks back at what the edition offered and at what showing Sudan in Dakar can mean.

Two artists, two ways of looking

The exhibition brought together works by Israa Hamad and Yasmeen Abdalah. To see or revisit their work, the simplest route is to ask the gallery team.

The works hung in the villa's gallery salon: white walls and sofas. Prices are given on request. A work that sells leaves with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, and payment is possible by Wave, Orange Money, bank card or on the spot.

Saturday 3 October: brunch and music

The last highlight of the edition took place on Saturday 3 October 2026, from 11am to 9pm. The programme combined three things: a brunch, live music by Mildah and a small artisans' market. Entry was 2,000 FCFA. Details of the day are on the event page, the Sudan brunch with live music.

A brunch lasting ten hours is a long format, designed so that you can arrive late in the morning, leave, and come back at the end of the afternoon. It reflects how the house works, serving Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 10pm: you do not come to consume an event, you spend time in a place.

Why show Sudan in Dakar

Sudan is a large African country and a neighbour of Ethiopia, and its artistic output has long been under-seen outside the region. A place like Ge'eza, whose aim is to set several Africas in conversation, has an obvious reason to pay attention.

There is also a link at the table that speaks for itself. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony relies on the jebena, a clay pot with a long neck. A coffee pot of the same name is also part of Sudanese coffee practice, and in both countries you find the idea that coffee is taken in company, slowly, over several cups. Without claiming the gestures are identical, you can see how neighbouring cultures echo each other. Our page on the coffee ceremony explains how the house offers it.

A wider art scene than people assume

For readers who want to place these two artists in a longer story, the article on contemporary Sudanese art traces landmarks of modern and contemporary creation in Sudan. We mention the Khartoum School, a major reference, without claiming to attach the exhibited artists to it.

The point is to let the works guide you rather than a label. A painting is first something you look at: the colours, the composition, what it stirs in you. The information comes afterwards, from the gallery team.

A format more than an exhibition

This edition illustrates the "A Country in the Spotlight" format, described in our article on the spotlight series: one country, its artists, a moment of encounter and music, a market, a table. Each edition has its own colour. Cape Verde had its opening with a DJ set and its brunch of cachupa and feijoada. Sudan had its live music brunch and its artisans' market.

In both cases the logic is the same: give artists from the continent a stage in Dakar, in front of a mixed audience of neighbours, expats, diplomats on posting and curious visitors. The gallery page shows the works currently on view.

What now?

The final highlight has passed. To find out whether works from the edition are still on show or available, message us on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07 or come to the gallery. Upcoming dates appear on the events page and in the calendar once confirmed.

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

Looking without waiting for a message

An art exhibition does not need to be boiled down to one sentence. You can come knowing nothing of the country or of its art history and simply let yourself be carried by what you see. That is the house's principle: a place where you sit down, have a coffee, look for a long time, and ask questions if you feel like it.