On a small island surrounded by hundreds of wooden huts on stilts, in the middle of Lake Nokoue in southeast Benin, a giant painting is taking shape. For three hours, in 41 degrees Celsius heat, French artist Saype transformed a playground in the floating village of Ganvie. The 33-year-old says he’s seen paintings before in a local gallery, “but painting on the grass? That’s a first.” It’s not just the art attracting curious residents — the artist himself intrigues many. The strokes of paint have formed into two giant interlaced hands. The interlaced hands are “a symbol of kindness and goodwill between people,” he says, “to try and build bridges.” For Saype, whose real name is Guillaume Legros, this painting is part of “the largest human chain in the world.” The “Beyond Walls” project started in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower and has over several years travelled around the world, reaching Andorra, Berlin, Geneva, Ouagadougou, Yamoussoukro, Turin, Istanbul and Cape Town before coming to Benin’s floating village of Ganvie.
SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS
More Stories
Inside the AAI Gala
Malian Basketballers Apologize for Brawl
Experts at the WTO Public Forum Talk Greening SMEs to Harness the Benefits of the AfCFTA
Dealing with Child Marriages on the Continent
Tighter Controls at Uganda’s Borders
The First Statue of an African Displayed in Trafalgar Square
Ramaphosa’s Opponents Want Him Impeached over a Growing Scandal
‘An Organized Attack on Freedoms by the Remnants of the Old Regime’ – Sudanese Lawyer
A Proposed Ban on the Deployment of Kenyan Domestic Workers to Saudi Arabia
Trial of Guinea’s Former President and Others Accused of the 2009 Stadium Massacre Begins
Essential Medical Supplies at Critically Low Levels in Ethiopia’s Conflict Zone
DRC Apes Kidnapped for Ransom