The drawing had quickly and mysteriously been deleted. It depicted President Macky Sall, wearing a suit in the colors of France, shooting a young man at close range. In 2021, in the aftermath of riots that left a dozen people dead, a mural bearing the signature of his collective was widely shared on social networks. He calls himself a pan-Africanist, committed to the "side of the people", and does not hesitate to take a stand. Initiated to graffiti at the age of 7 by elders in his neighborhood, Madzoo, 36, black glasses on the eyes, is among the Senegalese figures of this street art. According to Madzoo, some foreign artists stay there from time to time to participate in exhibitions or share their experience. RBS Akademya, which is very active on social networks, also serves as an artistic residence. Students pay a registration fee of 25,000 CFA francs (about 40 euros) and pay 15,000 CFA francs (about 23 euros) each month. "We decided to take a small number of students to work in the best conditions," Madzoo said. They will leave with a certificate, not recognized by the State of Senegal. There are four of them in all, making up the school's third class. They will receive three classes a week of theory and practice for six months. Libasse Sarr, 18, and Maurice Diouf, 25, also quit school to enroll in RBS Akademya (RBS for RadiK-L Bomb Shot). Everything is done in a light spirit," he says to the sound of reggae melodies playing on his computer. The day's class is based on "concept art" - how to express, materialize an idea - and colors, explains Chérif Tahir Diop, known as Akonga, graffiti artist, designer, and now teacher. "I also had trouble reading it before," he smiles. The word, hard to decipher, is "style," Ibrahima Soumaré decodes. Large pink and green characters decorate the wall at the entrance. The classroom, a space with a long work table and a wall chart, is no less variegated. "He symbolizes pan-Africanism," explains Madzoo, the author. A painting of an old man with a white beard captivates the eye, a small plant with flowers made of shells sprouts from his shaved head. Paintings and graffiti compete in beauty and color in the corridors of the two-story building that houses the school. Once considered a "lazy profession that doesn't make a living," graffiti is now gaining recognition, Madzoo believes. These young people fought against insalubrity in the capital and its suburbs and, after having cleaned the neighborhoods, drew on the walls images of marabouts in order to dissuade the inhabitants from throwing their garbage in the street again, says Madzoo. Graffiti appeared in Senegal in the late 1980s along with a spontaneous youth movement, "Set-Setal" (literally "clean and make clean"). Graffiti is part of the scenery in Dakar and its suburbs, where hip-hop culture fascinates many young people. The objective, "is to bring our share of heritage", "to train young professionals" so that they are "useful" to society and to help people "become aware of the issues of their time".
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