Granite art impresses tourists and residents at Laongo symposium, Burkina Faso

Seventeen sculptors from nine African and European countries have gathered in the village of Laongo, located 35 km from the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou.

They're attending the 14th international granite sculpture symposium, which kicked off on October 11th.

Using a jackhammer and grinder, Malian artist Indépendance Dougnon, participating for the first time, is aiming to carve a piece representing love and coexistence.

"My work speaks of coexistence, represented through two characters of opposite genders who are close together,'' Dougnon says. ''It is important to spread love everywhere. It is a beautiful experience for me to meet other artists and exchange ideas."

A veteran of three symposiums, Burkinabè sculptor Karim Tapsoba has chosen to talk about communication through ancestral traditions. "In the tradition of communication from mouth to ear, that’s the tradition of oral communication, and given the evolution of modernity and communication, we now have antennas that really promote and expand communication," he says.

The Laongo site has now become an open-air museum for visitors. Visitor Parfait Zongo says, "These sculptures allow people to reflect on the past, the present, and even the future. It's a very good thing because it helps people get to know the artists' work, and also allows visitors to appreciate or learn a lot."

For the organizers, the initial goal was to bring artists together to leave their mark on the rocks. It has transformed Laongo into a must-visit tourist site in Burkina Faso.

"Coming into the bush, meeting granite outcrops, and leaving our imprint on them for future generations was, for me, like a mission,'' the founder of the symposium, Siriky Ki, says. ''Today, Laongo has become a tourist destination that receives visitors all year round."

Since 1988, more than sixty artists have expressed themselves on the granite of Laongo. As the symposium nears its conclusion, over 2,000 works offer an extraordinary spectacle to thousands of people.