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Sculpture on granite of Laongo

Sculpture on granite of Laongo

Image Sculpture on granite of Laongo

Symposium of sculpture on Laongo granite.

The sculptures on granite of Laongo, a few kilometers from Ouagadougou, are a particular representation of art in Burkina Faso. It is in Laongo, taking advantage of a granite outcrop, that African and world sculptors have created this open-air museum.

To discover the sculptures of Laongo, you will have to go 35 km east of Ouagadougou, not far from Ziniaré; you can treat yourself to a detour in a garden of granite sculptures. The place has kept its wild side but the artistic quality is really there.

In 1988, the artists of the National Committee of Plastic Arts of Burkina Faso submitted to the Secretary of State for Culture a project for an international event of granite sculpture on the beautiful natural site of Laongo. Quite quickly (because the context was appropriate, the government being favorable to initiatives aimed at developing the country's arts), the project was accepted. Thus was born the Laongo Open Air Sculpture Site and Sympo-granit 89, which welcomed the first 18 renowned sculptors from 13 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Among the Burkinabe participants: Siriki Ky (the initiator of the project), Goudou Sayouba Bambara, Guy Compaoré and Ali Nikiema. Following this first symposium and the creative success of its artists, other national or international symposiums will follow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2003. Today, the site has become a true open-air museum where works of great quality, anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, figurative or abstract, but always integrated into the natural beauty of the site, are offered to the admiration of visitors. Today, about sixty artists have expressed their views on the Laongo granite, some of them having signed several works during their various participations. A pleasant and surprising visit. The sculptures. The site is set up in a vast area made up of granite massifs that are flush with the ground. This natural curiosity obviously inspired the designers of the project, who thus had both a material of choice (pinkish grey granite in discontinuous outcrops, in the form of domes or balls) and a wild landscape encouraging creativity. There are two ways to visit it: either follow the circuit proposed by the guide, or stroll according to your desires and stop in front of some sculptures to get explanations from the guide. Having attended the symposiums with the artists, the guides have a perfect command of the configuration of the place and are able to comment on the author and the characteristics of each work. A small booklet is also available at the reception desk.

 

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Infos pratiques

LAONGO SITE

Tel: (+226)70 89 12 23

(+226) 63 56 87 10

Open 7 days a week, from 8am to 6pm, opens at 7am on Saturday and Sunday.

Entrance: 2 500 FCFA/person

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Tourisme Burkina Faso