OPERA VILLAGE AFRICA ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMME

Operndorf Afrika, Burkina Faso

QUICK OVERVIEW

Programme Type: Fully-Funded, Curated Artist Residency
Location: Laongo/Ziniaré, ~30km (1 hour) from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Duration: 3 months (October-December annually)
Disciplines: Visual arts, performance, dance, music, film, photography, installation, multidisciplinary
Funding Model: Fully funded – monthly stipend, materials allowance, travel costs, accommodation, insurance
Application: NOT open application – curated selection only
Established: 2015 (Opera Village founded 2010)
Founder: Christoph Schlingensief (1960-2010)
Architect: Diébédo Francis Kéré (Pritzker Prize 2022)
Current Curator: Akinbode Akinbiyi (since 2020)
Track Record: One of West Africa’s first residency programmes

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Mission and Philosophy

The Opera Village Africa Artist-in-Residence programme invites national and international artists to use the Opera Village as a living and working space, creating a platform and cultural meeting place for artists of different content and media orientations. The programme operates on a radical premise: art should be understood as a direct language of confrontation, contributing to questioning and deconstructing Western viewpoints and the common, often exoticizing, images of the African continent.

The environment of Opera Village Africa, the culture, the people, and their understanding of art serve as the starting point for artistic inquiry. This is not about bringing European cultural products to Africa, but rather about “Learning from Africa”—creating space for genuine intercultural exchange where all participants (African and non-African artists, local communities, visiting curators) engage in dialogue as equals.

As founder Christoph Schlingensief wrote: “Not an impossible idea that should be realised only because of the profit, but it is rather the idea of officially robbing Africa, which means one has to thereby take one’s own body along, as well as deploy it as an information carrier. Not a Goethe traveling art snob, who discerns an opportunity to show the African what German culture is capable of, but rather a pale European leaf, which embarks to Africa for further exposure.”

Historical Context and Founding Vision

Opera Village Africa (Operndorf Afrika) was conceived by legendary German filmmaker, theatre director, performance artist, and political provocateur Christoph Schlingensief (1960-2010). After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008, Schlingensief began a “cancer diary” where he vowed to build “a church, a school, a hospital, a theatre and an opera house in Africa.” This vision crystallized into the Opera Village project—described as a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) and the climax of his career.

Key Milestones:

2008: Schlingensief diagnosed with cancer; begins developing Opera Village concept
February 8, 2010: Foundation stone laid in Burkina Faso
August 21, 2010: Schlingensief dies in Berlin; widow Aino Laberenz continues his vision
October 8, 2011: School opens
2011: Schlingensief posthumously awarded Golden Lion at Venice Biennale for German Pavilion installation
2015: Artist-in-Residence programme established
2020: Akinbode Akinbiyi appointed as curator

The Opera Village project was realized in partnership with Diébédo Francis Kéré, the Burkina Faso-born, Berlin-based architect who would later become the first African recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2022). Kéré’s sustainable, participatory building methods using local materials like clay and wood created the village’s distinctive architecture—buildings that demonstrate “beauty, modesty, boldness and invention.”

What Makes This Residency Unique

Not a Neocolonial Project: Unlike many Western-initiated projects in Africa, Opera Village explicitly rejects the model of bringing European culture to “enlighten” Africans. Instead, it operates on the principle that Europe has much to learn from Africa. The motto “Learning from Africa” is central to all programming.

Gesamtkunstwerk Philosophy: The Opera Village itself is a living artwork—a functioning community with a school (300+ students), medical center (dental clinic, birth center, pharmacy), guest houses, and performance spaces. Artists do not work in isolation but as part of this complex, evolving social experiment.

Francis Kéré Architecture: Residents live and work in buildings designed by one of the world’s most celebrated architects, experiencing firsthand his innovative approach to sustainable, climate-responsive design using local materials and traditional building techniques adapted for contemporary use.

Fully Funded Model: Unlike most African residencies that are self-funded or partially funded, Opera Village covers ALL costs—international travel, monthly stipend, materials, accommodation, comprehensive insurance—removing financial barriers to participation.

Curated Excellence: Since 2020, the programme has been curated by Akinbode Akinbiyi, one of the world’s leading photographers documenting African cities and a recipient of the Goethe Medal (2016). His curatorial vision brings deep understanding of African visual culture and intercultural exchange.

Partnership with Goethe Institute: Collaboration with Goethe Institute Burkina Faso provides institutional support, cultural programming connections, and integration into broader networks of cultural exchange between Germany and West Africa.

European Accompaniment: The residency programme is accompanied by regular events in Europe, creating critical discourse on possibilities for equal intercultural exchange and developing visions and potentials for the Opera Village from multidisciplinary perspectives.

Integration with Community: Unlike hermetic artist colonies, residents engage with the school, medical center, and local community of Ziniaré/Laongo, creating opportunities for meaningful cultural exchange beyond the art world.

FOUNDER: CHRISTOPH SCHLINGENSIEF (1960-2010)

The Provocateur Who Changed German Art

Christoph Schlingensief was a celebrity in Germany, as famous as a pop star before his premature death at age 49. During his short life, he shot films, directed theatre, staged operas, created installations, invented performances, and initiated political actions. His radical and provocative demand for action and reaction questioned what he viewed as destructive political and artistic complacency, securing his exceptional position in contemporary art.

Early Career:

Born October 24, 1960 in Oberhausen, Germany
Started as underground filmmaker deeply influenced by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and New German Cinema
Gained prominence with the “Germany Trilogy”: 100 Years Adolf Hitler (1989), The German Chainsaw Massacre (1990), and Terror 2000
Addressed Germany’s Nazi past, reunification, and national identity with unflinching, often shocking imagery

Theatre and Opera:

Invited to direct at Berlin’s experimental Volksbühne theatre
Staged Hamlet using amateur actors—skinhead members of German neo-Nazi organizations
2004: Directed Wagner’s Parsifal at Bayreuth Festival (conducted by Pierre Boulez)—provoked audience outrage with continuously rotating stage and radical reinterpretation, but ran through 2008 and influenced subsequent experimental Wagner interpretations

Political Actions:

Created satirical political party “Chance 2000” encouraging citizens to “vote for yourself”
Arrested at documenta X for poster bearing “Kill Helmut Kohl!”
Staged performance inviting Germany’s entire unemployed population to swim in Austria’s Lake Wolfgang to flood Chancellor Kohl’s holiday home

African Engagement:

Traveled to Africa since 1993
2005: Toured his “Animatograph” rotating stage installation to Namibia, shooting The African Twin Towers about colonial guilt and 9/11
2010: Developed Via Intolleranza II opera rehearsed in Ouagadougou with performers from Burkina Faso and Germany (premiered posthumously at Berliner Theatertreffen)

Legacy:

Posthumously awarded Golden Lion at 54th Venice Biennale 2011 for German Pavilion installation A Church of Fear vs. the Attack of the Artist
Major retrospective at MoMA PS1 (2014)
Documentary Crackle of Time (2012) by Sibylle Dahrendorf chronicles Opera Village development
Opera Village continues under patronage of former German Federal President Horst Köhler

Schlingensief’s Opera Village project emerged from his traumatic experience at Bayreuth and disappointment over opera’s conservatism, combined with his intensely democratic approach to the arts. He envisioned an “extended opera concept” where opera is not limited to staged performances but encompasses all forms of artistic expression within a self-sustaining community.

ARCHITECT: DIÉBÉDO FRANCIS KÉRÉ (b. 1965)

First African Pritzker Prize Winner

Diébédo Francis Kéré was born in 1965 in Gando, a remote village in Burkina Faso—one of the world’s least educated and most impoverished nations, a land void of clean drinking water, electricity, and infrastructure, let alone architecture.

Journey to Architecture:

1985: At age 20, earned vocational scholarship to study carpentry in Berlin
Attended night school while working, admitted to Technische Universität Berlin
2004: Graduated with advanced degree in architecture
2005: Founded Kéré Architecture in Berlin
Maintains dual citizenship: Burkina Faso and Germany

First Project – Gando Primary School (2001):

Built while still a student, using fundraising and community engagement
Employed local clay fortified with cement to form heat-retentive bricks
Wide raised tin roof protects from rain while allowing air circulation—natural ventilation without air conditioning
School enrollment increased from 120 to 700 students
2004: Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Later added extension, library, and teachers’ housing

Opera Village Africa (Phase I, 2010):

Partnership with Christoph Schlingensief beginning in 2009
Buildings combine local materials (clay, wood) with contemporary design
Guest houses designed for artist residencies
School, medical center, performance spaces integrated into cohesive village
Sustainable, climate-responsive architecture adapted to Sahel environment

Global Recognition:

March 2022: Pritzker Architecture Prize—first African and first Black architect to win in 43-year history
2021: Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture
2017: Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize (American Academy of Arts & Letters)
2017: Designed Serpentine Pavilion (London)
2019: Coachella installation Sarbalé Ke (“House of Celebration” in Bissa language)

Philosophy: “I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream and undergo risk. It is not because you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality. Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. We are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy and scarcity are concerns for us all.”

Additional Major Works:

Lycée Schorge Secondary School (2016, Koudougou, Burkina Faso)
National Assembly of Burkina Faso (pyramid-shaped, under construction)
National Assembly of Benin (modeled on palaver tree, completed)
Burkina Institute of Technology (2020)
Startup Lions Campus (Kenya, 2019)
Benga Riverside School (Mozambique)

Teaching:

Visiting professor: Harvard Graduate School of Design, Yale School of Architecture
2017: Appointed professor of Architectural Design and Participation, Technische Universität München
Honorary Fellow: American Institute of Architects (2012), Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (2018)
Chartered member: Royal Institute of British Architects (2009)

Kéré’s work at Opera Village represents his philosophy of architecture as social justice—building with communities rather than for them, using participatory design processes that empower local citizens through vocational training and create structures that respond to climate, culture, and human dignity.

CURATOR: AKINBODE AKINBIYI (b. 1946)

Photographer, Curator, and Observer of African Cities

Akinbode Akinbiyi has curated the Opera Village Africa Artist-in-Residence programme since 2020, bringing his decades of experience documenting African megacities and his deep commitment to intercultural dialogue.

Background:

Born 1946 in Oxford, England to Nigerian parents
Grew up between England and Lagos, Nigeria
Studied English literature in Ibadan, Lancaster, and Heidelberg
Self-taught photographer since 1972
Based in Berlin since early 1990s

Photographic Practice: Akinbiyi is a street photographer and chronicler of the quotidian—interested in “everydaylifeness” rather than everydayness. Working primarily with an analogue Rolleiflex medium format camera, he walks the streets of megacities at a distinctively slow pace, studying social structures, uncovering the hidden, and making visible the unseen.

Geographic Focus:

African cities: Lagos, Cairo, Kinshasa, Johannesburg, Bamako, Dakar, Khartoum, Addis Ababa
European cities: Berlin (especially the African Quarter and colonial history), Athens
American cities: Chicago, São Paulo
Coastal areas in West Africa and Europe

Major Series:

“Photography, Tobacco, Sweets, Condoms and Other Configurations” (1970s-ongoing)
“Sea Never Dry” (1980s-ongoing): Beaches in Africa and Europe
“Passageways, Involuntary Narratives, and the Sound of Crowded Spaces” (2015-2017)
“African Quarter” (ongoing): Berlin’s colonial history inscribed in street names and neighborhoods

Curatorial Philosophy: Curator Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung describes Akinbiyi’s approach: “Akinbiyi studies social structures, uncovers the hidden, and makes visible the unseen. On the one hand, it is the temporal rhythm of urban and rural lives that is of interest to him and, on the other, the way the architecture and the flow of the city influences those lives.”

Major Exhibitions:

2020: Solo exhibition Six Songs, Swirling Gracefully in the Taut Air, Gropius Bau Berlin (February-July)
2017: documenta 14 (Athens and Kassel)
2004-2007: Africa Remix (Düsseldorf, London, Paris, Tokyo, Stockholm, Johannesburg)
Works in collections: MoMA (16 works), major museums worldwide

Awards and Recognition:

2016: Goethe Medal (Germany’s highest cultural honor)
Numerous international exhibitions, publications, and curatorial projects

Curatorial Work:

Founded art centre in Nigeria in cooperation with Goethe-Institut, which developed into network of African photography schools
Curated exhibitions for German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations: “STADTanSICHTEN Lagos” (2004), “Spot on… DAK’ART” (2009)
Artistic advisor: Bamako Encounters Photography Biennial
Curated: “Things Fall Apart – Film Stills by Stephen Goldblatt,” “The Respectful Gaze – From the Estate of Nina Fischer-Stephan”

Vision for Opera Village Residency: Akinbiyi describes the residency as “an open-ended conversation, of what is opera, of what this art form can be out in the sparse landscape of the Sahel. Baobab trees asserting their presence, demanding recognition of underground currents and the upward thrusting weave of their branches. The opera is all of these and much, much more, an inclusive will of expression, formed out from incalculable sources. The residency at the Village Opera is an essential aspect of this constantly ongoing conversation, creative personalities engaging intimately with the immediate surroundings, the vibrancy of the deeply embedded Sahel.”

RESIDENCY STRUCTURE

Duration and Timing

Standard Programme:

3 months: October-December annually
Fixed dates (not flexible)
All participants undertake to live and work at the village within the agreed period
Presence in the village and engagement with other artists required

Note: The October-December timing coincides with Burkina Faso’s cooler dry season (best weather) and avoids both rainy seasons.

Daily Structure and Expectations

Freedom Within Community: There are no mandatory workshops, strict schedules, or formal obligations beyond living and working at the Opera Village. However, residents are expected to:

Be present at the village for the full 3-month period
Engage with the community—school, medical center, local inhabitants, fellow residents
Work on their practice in dialogue with the Sahel environment, Burkinabé culture, and the Opera Village’s unique context
Participate in “Reading Sessions” organized as part of Radio AWU cooperation (key element of residency programming, offering women a safe space for dialogue)
Potential community workshops depending on curatorial theme and artist interests (not mandatory but encouraged)

Thematic Focus: Recent years have seen themed residencies:

2024: “Art as Participation in Social Discourse” (emphasis on engaging local community through partnerships with Centre de Développement Chorégraphique La Termitière, FasoCheck Association, Radio AWU—interactive workshops on media literacy, gender equity, intercultural dialogue)
Previous years: Open themes allowing artists to develop individual projects

Integration with Opera Village Life: The residency is not an isolated artistic retreat but embedded within a functioning community:

School: Primary school with ~300 students, artistic focus (film, art, music)
Medical Center: Dental clinic, birth center, pharmacy serving local population
Guest Houses: Designed by Francis Kéré for visiting artists
Performance Spaces: Venues for presentations, performances, workshops
Local Inhabitants: Small community living in spaciously designed single units within village

Artists become part of the daily rhythm—children going to school, medical center serving patients, communal meals, impromptu encounters, and the slow, deliberate pace of life in the Sahel.

FACILITIES & RESOURCES

Accommodation

Guest Houses Designed by Francis Kéré:

Private rooms in guest houses built by internationally renowned, Pritzker Prize-winning architect
Buildings use local clay and wood with contemporary design
Natural ventilation, climate-responsive design for Sahel heat
Communal living spaces within guest house complex
Basic but comfortable furnishings

What to Expect:

Rustic elegance—beautiful architecture, simple amenities
No luxury facilities (this is a working village, not a resort)
Shared bathrooms and communal areas
Integration into village layout—guest houses look out at each other across the flat, amphitheater-like design

Studio Spaces

Working Environment:

Dedicated studio/work spaces for residents
Both indoor and outdoor working areas
Access to Opera Village’s various buildings and spaces depending on project needs
Flexibility for site-specific installation, performance development, or studio-based practice

The Setting: Opera Village is set in the sparse landscape of the Sahel—baobab trees, red earth, dramatic skies, intense sunlight. The environment itself becomes part of the creative process. As Akinbode Akinbiyi describes: “There is a sense of the round, of entering into a large, widely spread flat amphitheatre, the dwelling units looking out at each other from the near distance.”

Materials and Production Support

Materials Allowance:

Monthly modest material cost allowance provided
Can be used to purchase local working materials for realization of artistic works
Ouagadougou (30km away) has basic art supplies, hardware stores, fabric markets

Local Collaboration:

Access to local craftspeople and artisans: seamstresses, potters, bronze casters, wood carvers, weavers
Many past residents have collaborated with Burkinabé artisans to produce work
Opera Village can facilitate introductions and connections

What’s NOT Available:

Specialized equipment (advanced printmaking, digital fabrication, etc.)
Western art supplies may be limited or expensive
Artists should plan projects around available resources or bring essential materials

Performance and Exhibition Spaces

Opera Village Facilities:

Performance spaces for theater, dance, music
Indoor and outdoor presentation areas
School auditorium/amphitheater
Potential for site-specific installations throughout village grounds

Final Presentations: Most residencies conclude with some form of public presentation—performance, exhibition, open studio, screening, or artist talk. This is not mandatory but strongly encouraged as part of intercultural exchange mission.

WHAT’S PROVIDED VS. ARTIST RESPONSIBILITY

Fully Funded Model

Opera Village Africa operates on a comprehensive funding model, removing financial barriers to participation:

Opera Village Provides:

✓ International Travel: Round-trip airfare to/from Burkina Faso (to Ouagadougou International Airport)

✓ Monthly Stipend: Covers maintenance, meals, and daily living expenses for 3 months

✓ Materials Allowance: Modest monthly allowance to purchase local working materials

✓ Accommodation: Guest house room (designed by Francis Kéré) for entire 3-month period

✓ Comprehensive Insurance: Barmenia World Police coverage for entire stay

✓ Curatorial Support: Guidance and support from Akinbode Akinbiyi and Opera Village team

✓ On-Site Support: Supervision by Opera Village Afrika team throughout residency

✓ Administrative Assistance: Visa application support, arrival logistics, integration into village community

✓ Access to Facilities: Opera Village infrastructure (studios, performance spaces, school, medical center)

✓ Community Integration: Introductions to local artisans, craftspeople, cultural organizations

✓ European Programming: Participation in European events/exhibitions connected to residency (when organized)

Artist Responsibility

Before Arrival:

Visa application process (Opera Village provides invitation letter and documentation)
Required vaccinations (yellow fever, others recommended)
Personal health preparations and any necessary medications
Specialized materials or equipment not available in Burkina Faso

During Residency:

Living and working at Opera Village for agreed 3-month period
Engaging with village community, fellow residents, and local culture
Developing artistic work in dialogue with Burkinabé context
Participating in any organized events, reading sessions, or community programming
Respecting cultural norms and community values

Financial Note: Because Opera Village covers ALL major costs (travel, stipend, accommodation, materials, insurance), artists have virtually NO out-of-pocket expenses beyond:

Personal items, toiletries
Any international communication costs
Souvenirs, personal shopping
Optional travel within Burkina Faso (if time permits)

APPLICATION PROCESS

CRITICAL: NOT OPEN APPLICATION

The Opera Village Africa Artist-in-Residence programme is a CURATED programme. Free application is currently not possible.

Selection Process:

Curatorial selection by Akinbode Akinbiyi
Artists are invited to participate based on curatorial vision, thematic focus, and artistic merit
Decisions made “by way of curatorial resolutions”

How Artists Are Selected:

Review of artist portfolios, exhibition history, and artistic practice
Alignment with Opera Village mission and annual curatorial theme
Potential for meaningful engagement with Burkinabé culture and context
Contribution to intercultural dialogue and equal exchange
Balance of African and non-African artists, various disciplines, different career stages

Who Gets Considered:

Emerging, mid-career, and established artists
All disciplines: visual arts, performance, dance, music, film, photography, installation, multidisciplinary
National (Burkinabé and West African) and international artists
Artists committed to intercultural dialogue and “Learning from Africa” philosophy

For Artists Interested in Future Consideration

While there is no formal application process, artists interested in potential future participation can:

Monitor Opera Village Communications:
- Website: https://www.operndorf-afrika.com
- Social media updates on upcoming residencies and themes
Build Visibility in Relevant Networks:
- Goethe Institute programming and exhibitions
- African photography and contemporary art networks
- European-African cultural exchange programmes
- Exhibitions and publications aligned with intercultural dialogue
Contact for Inquiries:
- Email: festspielhaus@schlingensief.com
- Express interest, share portfolio, articulate connection to Opera Village’s mission
- Note: This does not guarantee selection but creates awareness of your practice
Attend Opera Village Events in Europe:
- Regular accompanying events in Europe create critical discourse
- Attendance demonstrates serious interest and engagement with project

PAST RESIDENTS & PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

Track Record Since 2015

Opera Village has hosted resident artists annually since 2015, though the programme maintains a low public profile (detailed alumni lists are not published on the website). Known participants demonstrate the programme’s international scope and multidisciplinary approach:

2024: “Art as Participation in Social Discourse”

Godelive Kasangati Kabena (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Photographer and visual artist
Exhibitions: Silent Invasions (Amasaka Gallery, Uganda 2023), 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair London 2023, Bamako Encounters Photography Biennial
Focus: Material hacking, textile practices

Leila Bencharnia (Morocco/Berlin-based)

Sound artist and composer
Examines parallels between auditory and tactile
Influenced by Tamazight textile traditions and free jazz
Creates sonic installations, acousmatic pieces, graphic scores, live performances

Christopher Obuh Nelson (Nigeria)

Photographer and visual artist based in Lagos
Focus: Environmental and social issues, post-colonialism, modernization in context of globalization
Published: Camera Austria, Critical Intervention, Saraba Magazine
2019: Project Space Lagos residency; Access Bank ART X Prize finalist

2023

Thierry Oussou (Benin)

Visual and conceptual artist
Art education: Rijksakademie, Netherlands
Focus: Marginalized professions, forgotten tangible and intangible heritage
Collaborated with local seamstresses, potters, bronze casters
Dual residency: December 2023 in Burkina Faso, then continued to Bad Ischl, Austria (joint with AVA BINTA DIALLO)

AVA BINTA DIALLO (Burkina Faso)

Choreographer and dancer
Working on Moom (“I, or all of me” in Bissa language)—solo exploring layers of experiences constituting her history as woman and artist
Developed through Compagnie Salamata-Kobré (Cie S-K)
Focus: Dignity of our choices, breaking chains of clichés

2021

Gintersdorfer/Klaßen (Monika Gintersdorfer & Knut Klaßen) (Germany)

Collaborative duo
Performance artists interested in intercultural exchange
Extensive African project experience (Ghana, Nigeria)
Developed performance workshops with Opera Village school children, staff, hospital patients

Abrie Fourie (South Africa)

Photographer
“Walking process” – photographing urban structures, old monuments, passageways, walls, flowers, rivers
Project: Passage – a song (with Akinbode Akinbiyi)
Stated importance: Experiencing artist residency on African continent as South African artist (due to high travel costs within Africa)

2020: First Year Under Akinbode Akinbiyi’s Curation

Diana Ejaita (Nigeria)

Created hand-drawn illustration for Opera Village
Visual artist

Rahima Gambo (Nigeria)

Photographer

Taiwo Jacob Ojudun (Nigeria)

Visual artist

Anja Saleh (Germany)

Performance artist

Programme Impact

For Artists:

Extended time to develop practice in radically different cultural context
Collaboration with Burkinabé artisans and craftspeople
Integration into networks of African contemporary art and European-African cultural exchange
Exhibition opportunities in Europe connected to residency programming
Long-term relationships with Opera Village, Goethe Institute networks

For Opera Village:

Artists contribute to ongoing evolution of the “opera village” concept
Commissioned works represent and promote the project
Workshops and community engagement enrich school and local programming
Documentation (photography, film, writing) creates archive of village development

For Cultural Dialogue:

Challenges neocolonial narratives about Western-African cultural relations
Creates space for genuine exchange where “Learning from Africa” is central
Contributes to decolonizing art education and practice
Produces artworks and exhibitions that question Western viewpoints on African continent

BURKINA FASO & OUAGADOUGOU CONTEXT

The Country

Burkina Faso (former Upper Volta) is a landlocked West African nation known for its rich cultural traditions despite being one of the world’s poorest countries.

Basic Facts:

Population: ~22 million
Capital: Ouagadougou (political), largest city
Languages: French (official), Moore, Dioula, Fulfulde, numerous others
Major ethnic groups: Mossi (largest), Fulani, Bobo, Lobi, Gourounsi, others
Religion: Islam (majority), Christianity (significant minority), indigenous beliefs
Currency: West African CFA franc (XOF)

Post-Independence History:

1960: Independence from France
1984: Revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara renamed country from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso (“Land of Upright People”)
1987: Sankara assassinated in coup led by Blaise Compaoré
2014: Popular uprising overthrew Compaoré after 27 years (parliament building burned)
Multiple coups and political instability since 2014
Current challenges: Jihadist insurgency (since ~2015), displacement of 1.7+ million people

Development Challenges:

56% of youth received no formal education (2014 data)
Some of world’s highest illiteracy rates
Limited infrastructure, electricity, clean water
Heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture (vulnerable to climate change)
Yet: Strong cultural identity, vibrant arts scene, pan-African consciousness

Cultural Strengths

Despite economic challenges, Burkina Faso is a cultural powerhouse in West Africa:

Film & Media:

FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou) – Africa’s largest and most important film festival (biennial, founded 1969)
Home to numerous filmmakers, production companies
Strong tradition of using film for social commentary and cultural preservation

Music:

Traditional instruments: balafon, djembe, kora
Contemporary fusion styles blending traditional and modern
International recognition for musicians like Farafina, Victor Dème

Visual Arts & Craft:

Bronze casting (lost-wax technique)
Pottery traditions
Weaving and textile arts
Wood carving
Contemporary art scene emerging in Ouagadougou

Theatre & Performance:

Long tradition of storytelling, masquerade, ritual performance
Contemporary theatre companies
Centre de Développement Chorégraphique La Termitière (leading contemporary dance center)

Ouagadougou

“Ouaga” (as locals call it) is Burkina Faso’s capital and largest city (population ~2.5 million metro area).

Characteristics:

Flat terrain, red earth, scattered trees
Low-rise buildings, mix of colonial-era architecture and modern construction
Vibrant markets: Grand Marché (central market), Rood-Woko (artisan market)
Motorcycle taxis (motos) everywhere
Relatively relaxed, friendly atmosphere compared to some African capitals

Cultural Institutions:

National Museum of Music
Village Artisanal de Ouagadougou (craft village)
Numerous galleries and art spaces
FESPACO headquarters

Getting Around:

Taxis, motos (motorcycle taxis), some public transport
From Opera Village (Laongo/Ziniaré): ~30km, about 1 hour drive

Opera Village Location: Laongo/Ziniaré

The Opera Village is located in Laongo, near Ziniaré town, approximately 30 kilometers from Ouagadougou.

The Locale:

Sparse Sahel landscape – semi-arid, baobab trees, dramatic skies
Small village community
Ziniaré: Hometown of former president Blaise Compaoré
Nearby: Laongo Sculpture Symposium (granite sculptures in outdoor setting)

Climate:

Hot dry season: November-May (temperatures can exceed 40°C/104°F)
Rainy season: June-October
Best weather: October-February (residency season coincides with this)
Harmattan winds (December-February): Dry, dusty winds from Sahara

What This Means for Residents:

Intense heat requires adaptation, proper hydration
Dramatic, visually stunning landscape
Relative isolation from urban distractions
Opportunity for deep focus and engagement with Sahel environment
Night skies: Spectacular stars with minimal light pollution

Practical Considerations

Safety:

Ouagadougou generally safe for foreigners, exercise normal urban caution
Terrorism concern: Burkina Faso faces ongoing jihadist insurgency in northern and eastern regions; Ouagadougou has experienced occasional attacks but Opera Village area has remained safe
Opera Village provides security and guidance on local situation
Political instability: Coups and transitions of power occur; stay informed

Health:

Malaria: Endemic, prophylaxis strongly recommended
Yellow Fever: Vaccination required for entry (bring certificate)
Other vaccinations: Hepatitis A/B, typhoid, meningitis recommended
Water: Drink only bottled or boiled water
Food safety: Be cautious with street food, wash fruits/vegetables
Medical care: Opera Village has medical center on-site; Ouagadougou has hospitals

Logistics:

Currency: West African CFA franc; US$ or Euros can be exchanged
ATMs: Available in Ouagadougou; bring backup cash
Mobile/Internet: Decent coverage in Ouaga; Opera Village has internet
Electricity: Generally reliable but occasional outages

COSTS & FUNDING

What Opera Village Covers (Fully Funded)

Since Opera Village operates on a comprehensive funding model, artists have essentially ZERO financial burden:

International Travel:

Round-trip flights to Ouagadougou International Airport (OUA)
Opera Village books and pays for flights

Living Stipend:

Monthly stipend for 3 months
Covers food, meals, daily expenses
Exact amount not publicly disclosed but sufficient for comfortable living in Burkina Faso

Materials Allowance:

Monthly allowance to purchase local working materials
Sufficient for projects using local resources

Accommodation:

Guest house room for entire 3-month stay
No rental costs, utilities included

Insurance:

Barmenia World Police comprehensive coverage
Covers medical emergencies, evacuation if needed

Additional Support:

Visa invitation letters and documentation support
Airport pickup and arrival logistics
On-site staff support throughout residency

What Artists Should Budget For

Minimal Personal Expenses:

Toiletries, personal care items
Any souvenirs or personal shopping
International phone calls (if not using internet calling)
Optional travel within Burkina Faso (if time permits)
Estimated: $200-500 for 3 months

Pre-Departure Costs:

Visa fee: ~$100-150 USD (varies by nationality)
Yellow fever vaccination: $150-250 USD (if not already vaccinated)
Other recommended vaccinations: $200-500 USD
Malaria prophylaxis: $50-150 USD
Travel insurance (supplementary, if desired): $100-300
Total estimated pre-departure: $600-1,350 USD

Grand Total Artist Investment: ~$800-1,850 USD for 3-month fully-funded residency

VISA & TRAVEL LOGISTICS

Entry Requirements

Visa:

Most nationalities require visa to enter Burkina Faso
Opera Village provides invitation letter and documentation to support visa application
Apply at Burkina Faso embassy/consulate in your country
Processing time: 2-4 weeks typically
Cost: ~$100-150 USD depending on nationality

Yellow Fever:

Required: Yellow fever vaccination certificate
Must be administered at least 10 days before travel
Bring physical certificate—checked at airport entry

Other Vaccinations (Recommended):

Hepatitis A & B
Typhoid
Meningitis
Polio booster
Tetanus

Malaria Prophylaxis:

Strongly recommended
Consult doctor for appropriate medication

Getting to Opera Village

International Travel:

Fly to Ouagadougou International Airport (OUA)
Major connections via Paris, Brussels, Addis Ababa, Casablanca, Istanbul
Opera Village books and pays for flights

Arrival:

Opera Village arranges airport pickup
~30km/1 hour drive to village in Laongo/Ziniaré
Staff will assist with arrival logistics

Departure:

Opera Village arranges transport back to airport
Allow extra time for check-in (infrastructure can be slow)

CULTURAL PREPARATION & EXPECTATIONS

What to Expect

Physical Environment:

Intense heat, especially March-May
Dry, dusty conditions (Harmattan season December-February)
Rustic living – beautiful architecture but simple amenities
Insects – mosquitoes, other bugs (bring repellent)
Limited Western comforts – no air conditioning, basic facilities

Cultural Norms:

Greetings are essential – always greet people properly before any interaction
Modest dress – shoulders and knees covered, especially women
Respect for elders – hierarchical society
Communal living – privacy norms different from Western expectations
Slower pace – “African time” is real; patience required

Daily Life:

Heat management – work early morning and evening, rest during peak heat
Limited electricity – occasional outages
Water conservation – use responsibly
Community engagement – you are part of village life, not isolated artist

Food:

Burkinabé cuisine: tô (millet/sorghum porridge), riz gras (rice), poulet bicyclette (local chicken), peanut sauce, vegetables
Meals likely provided by Opera Village
Vegetarians: Communicate dietary needs in advance
Drink only bottled/boiled water

What to Pack

Essentials:

Light, breathable clothing (cotton, linen) covering shoulders/knees
Sun protection: Hat, sunglasses, high SPF sunscreen
Insect repellent (DEET-based)
Mosquito net (likely provided but bring backup)
Headlamp/flashlight (power outages)
Reusable water bottle (with filter if possible)
First aid kit with any prescription medications
Toiletries (bring full supply—may be expensive/unavailable locally)
Laptop/phone with appropriate power adapters (European plugs, 220V)
Camera/documentation equipment
Notebooks, sketchbooks for your practice

Art Materials:

Bring essentials for your practice (specialized materials unlikely available)
Plan projects around local materials (clay, fabric, found objects)
Shipping is difficult – bring what you can carry

Cultural Gifts:

Small gifts from your home country for hosts/collaborators appreciated
Photos of your home/family to share

WHY CHOOSE OPERA VILLAGE AFRICA

For Artists Who Value:

✓ Historical Significance: Be part of Christoph Schlingensief’s visionary Gesamtkunstwerk—a living artwork addressing intercultural exchange, postcolonial discourse, and the role of art in society

✓ Architectural Experience: Live and work in buildings designed by Diébédo Francis Kéré, first African Pritzker Prize winner, experiencing sustainable, climate-responsive design using traditional materials

✓ Curatorial Excellence: Work under guidance of Akinbode Akinbiyi, one of the world’s leading photographers and curators documenting African urban life

✓ Fully Funded: All major costs covered (travel, stipend, materials, accommodation, insurance)—rare in African residency landscape

✓ Cultural Immersion: Genuine engagement with Burkina Faso’s rich cultural traditions, not superficial “cultural tourism”

✓ Learning from Africa: Participate in intercultural dialogue based on equality, where Western artists come to learn rather than teach

✓ Community Integration: Work as part of functioning village with school, medical center, local inhabitants—art embedded in daily life

✓ Sahel Environment: Create in dialogue with dramatic landscape, baobab trees, intense light, and spaciousness of West African semi-arid region

✓ Goethe Institute Network: Access to broader European-African cultural exchange programmes and institutional support

✓ International Visibility: Potential participation in European events/exhibitions connected to residency

✓ Artistic Freedom: No mandatory workshops or obligations beyond living and working at village

✓ Multidisciplinary Exchange: Engage with artists across disciplines (visual arts, performance, dance, music, film)

For Artists Who May Look Elsewhere:

✗ No Open Application: Must be curatorially selected—cannot apply on own initiative

✗ Fixed Timing: October-December only, not flexible

✗ Rustic Conditions: Beautiful but basic facilities; not for those needing Western comforts

✗ Health Challenges: Malaria risk, intense heat, limited medical facilities (though village has clinic)

✗ Limited Resources: Specialized materials/equipment unavailable; must plan projects around local resources

✗ Political Instability: Burkina Faso faces ongoing security challenges (terrorism, coups)—situation can change

✗ Cultural Adjustment: Significant differences from Western norms require flexibility and cultural sensitivity

✗ No Documentation Guarantee: Programme maintains low public profile; may not receive extensive promotional support

Official Contacts

Festspielhaus Afrika gGmbH
Postal Address (Burkina Faso):
Village-Opéra
BP 510
Ziniaré
Burkina Faso

Email: festspielhaus@schlingensief.com

Website: https://www.operndorf-afrika.com

Partner Organizations

Goethe-Institut Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou
Website: https://www.goethe.de/ins/bf/en/index.html

Festspielhaus Afrika gemeinnützigen GmbH (Germany)
Non-profit organization managing Opera Village project

Supporting Institutions & Funders

German Federal Cultural Foundation
Goethe Institute
German Federal Foreign Office
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Swiss Embassy in Tanzania (Opera Village also receives support)
Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania
Association Grünhelme
Individual donors and supporters (Marina Abramović, Pipilotti Rist, Georg Baselitz, Christo, Olafur Eliasson, Andreas Gursky, Wolfgang Tillmans, Günther Uecker, Patti Smith, others)

Patronage: Former German Federal President Horst Köhler (since 2011)

Related Projects

Centre de Développement Chorégraphique La Termitière – Partner organization, leading center for contemporary dance in Burkina Faso

FasoCheck Association – Media literacy partner (2024 residency collaborator)

Radio AWU – Women-focused radio, residency programming partner

FESPACO – Pan-African Film Festival in Ouagadougou (biennial)

The Opera Village Africa Artist-in-Residence programme represents something rare: a genuinely radical experiment in intercultural artistic exchange, founded on principles of equality, mutual learning, and rejection of neocolonial cultural relations.

This is not a comfortable, well-resourced residency where Western artists produce work in isolation. It is an invitation to become part of Christoph Schlingensief’s ongoing Gesamtkunstwerk—a total work of art that challenges what opera can be, what cultural exchange can be, what art’s role in society can be.

You will live in buildings designed by the first African Pritzker Prize winner. You will work under the curatorial guidance of one of the world’s leading photographers documenting African cities. You will become part of a functioning community in the Sahel—children going to school, medical center serving patients, baobab trees asserting their presence, the vast openness of the West African sky.

The programme’s “Learning from Africa” philosophy is not rhetoric but foundational principle. European and international artists do not come to teach or “help develop” Burkinabé culture—they come to learn, to be transformed, to question their own assumptions about art, culture, and intercultural dialogue.

Since the programme operates through curatorial selection rather than open application, artists cannot simply decide to participate—they must be invited. But for those who receive an invitation, the opportunity is extraordinary: three months fully funded, integrated into one of the most philosophically ambitious and architecturally significant art projects in contemporary Africa, working in dialogue with a vibrant, challenging, beautiful cultural context.

The heat will be intense. The conditions will be rustic. The cultural adjustment will be significant. But for artists committed to intercultural dialogue, willing to embrace discomfort, and ready to genuinely learn from Africa rather than extract from it, Opera Village offers an experience unlike any other residency programme in the world.

As Akinbode Akinbiyi writes: “The residency at the Village Opera is an essential aspect of this constantly ongoing conversation, creative personalities engaging intimately with the immediate surroundings, the vibrancy of the deeply embedded Sahel. This engagement too is open-ended, can evolve in any which way is desired. Important is the stay at the village, imbibing the everyday of the small community.”