The African Performing Arts Market in Abidjan (MASA) held its 14th edition from 11 to 18 April 2026. More than 300 shows were presented, according to the Guinean delegation, and the Ivorian press reported more than 500,000 spectators, according to figures given by Abu Kamaté, director general of MASA (Journal of Abidjan, 20 April 2006). Guinea came to prepare its festival in this great meeting of African performing arts.
Michel Théo Lamah led a strategic artistic exploration mission: to identify and select quality performances, primarily in traditional African percussion and dances, for the programming of the 2nd edition of the International Djembé Festival (FID), expected from December 8 to 13, 2026 in Conakry, with its village in Matam.
At the Guinea stand, the general manager interviewed Manana Cissé, artistic director of the African Ballets of Guinea — a living legend of the troupe founded by Keïta Fodéba, whom she joined at the age of 12, according to RFI.
The mission also went through the branches of the RTI, Ivorian television, where Michel Théo Lamah presented the objectives of the trip. At the end of the mission, he thanked the Minister of Culture, Moussa Moïse Sylla, for the trust placed in him.
The approach is part of the Minister's initiatives to preserve and enhance traditional percussion and dances. The ambition is clear: to make FID a major platform for promoting, disseminating and professionalizing the African performing arts, in the continuity of the success of the first edition, which had welcomed artists from several countries.
Practical information — Festival International du Djembé (FID), 2nd edition: from 8 to 13 December 2026 in Conakry (Guinea), village of the festival in Matam. Full details of the festival: festivaltv.tv/festival/festival-international-du-Jedembe-et-des-percussions-fid