Yay Abe, Maxime Manga x AFCON

Yay Abe, Maxime Manga x AFCON

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The Art of Welcome - Akwaaba at the African Cup of Nations

Yay Abe and Maxime Manga faced a mammoth task: to create an installation capturing Côte d'Ivoire's essence during the opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations. A celebration of unity through the beautiful game, the challenge was to weave the rich traditions of the tournament with a forward-looking vision, making the nation's cultural heartbeat tangible and immersive.

In January 2024, the work of two TDF artists took centre stage at the opening ceremony of The African Cup of Nations – the continent’s biggest football festival – infusing the biennial sporting event with a sprinkling of cultural storytelling.

Bringing the essence of AFCON to life in front of a global audience in Ivory Coast, Yay Abe and Maxime Manga honoured the host country’s customs in the creation of a ceremonial carpet. TDF’s largest canvas to date, it was characterised by deep colours, strong lines and cultural motifs.

The biggest scale project TDF has seen, the artists’ vast installation spanned 46x91 metres, drawing the eyes of thousands of fans to soak in every detail. From the outlines of architecture to the wind turbines, the design contained cultural Easter eggs, giving spectators more than just a game to enjoy.

Yay Abe

"Looking back, the sheer beauty of this project was the scale of it all. We designed it on our tiny laptop screens, extensively crafting and defining each corner of both artworks. Then, seeing our work blown up to the size of a football field with millions of eyes watching it at the same time, was a wild experience.”