Blick Bassy Brings Bikutsi 3000 Back to Abidjan's Yelam's

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Cameroonian artist Blick Bassy has brought his show Bikutsi 3000 to Abidjan in a new Ivorian version. After its premiere at Yelam's in September, the production returned to the venue for a further performance on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 6pm, according to Mondafrique and Sports and Culture Network. What Bikutsi 3000 is Bikutsi 3000 is a stage show that mixes storytelling, dance, music and visual arts. Mondafrique describes an Afrofuturist tale set in an imaginary territory called Mintaba. Its central figure is Queen Ngo Nyaga, enthroned in 1885 as Europe partitions Africa. She raises five armies led by women, and their weapon is Massack, a sacred dance. The five groups of women represent Cameroon, Namibia, Togo, Tanzania and Rwanda. The show's theme is "matrimoine", the female line of heritage, and the music borrows from bikutsi, the rhythm that gives the production its name. From Paris to Abidjan According to Mondafrique, the project began as a carte blanche at the Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac in Paris and premiered in 2022. It has since toured Europe, Australia, Cameroon and other African countries. The Ivorian version premiered on Friday, September 11, at 7:30pm. It is produced by La Villa de Sciençage with Yelam's, the venue on avenue de la Reine Pokou. Sports and Culture Network reports that Côte d'Ivoire's Culture Minister, Françoise Remarck, attended in September, a sign of the official interest in the production. Mondafrique also reports that Blick Bassy has recently settled in Abidjan, which helps explain why the city has become a base for this new version of the show. Why the Ivorian version matters Adapting a touring production for a local cast and venue is a significant investment, and it gives Abidjan audiences their own version of a show that has already played in Europe and Australia. It also adds a major multidisciplinary work to the city's cultural calendar at a time when Abidjan is positioning itself as a regional hub for live arts. A story told through dance The idea at the heart of the show is that dance itself is the weapon. The women's armies of Mintaba fight with Massack, a sacred dance, rather than with guns. That turns choreography into the main language of resistance and makes the dancers the centre of the story. Placing the story in 1885, the year associated with Europe's partition of the continent, gives the fantasy a historical anchor. The Afrofuturist frame then imagines a different outcome, led by a queen and by women from five African countries. Music and heritage Bikutsi is the musical foundation, and the production borrows from its rhythms rather than reproducing a traditional concert. The theme of "matrimoine" pushes the idea further, presenting heritage passed down through women as something to celebrate on stage. The result sits between concert, theatre and dance. For audiences, that means a show built around movement and images as much as songs. Readers interested in the wider sounds can explore our world music page, while our Afro-pop and Afrobeats pages cover the continent's chart pop. Key facts Show: Bikutsi 3000, Ivorian version Creator: Blick Bassy, Cameroon Venue: Yelam's, avenue de la Reine Pokou, Abidjan Ivorian premiere: Friday, September 11, 7:30pm Return date: Saturday, October 10, 6pm Producers: La Villa de Sciençage with Yelam's Origins: a carte blanche at the Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, premiered in 2022 Setting: the imaginary territory of Mintaba, ruled by Queen Ngo Nyaga Moving a work created in Paris to an Abidjan stage, with local producers and a new version for Ivorian audiences, is the kind of exchange that can give the show a longer life on the continent. What's next After the September premiere and the October 10 performance at Yelam's, the next question is whether the Ivorian version will tour in the region or return for more Abidjan dates. Mondafrique's report that Blick Bassy now lives in the city suggests he will be closely involved in its local life. Further dates are expected to be announced by La Villa de Sciençage and Yelam's. Sources: Sports and Culture Network | Mondafrique