The 14th edition of the African Performing Arts Market (MASA) will take place from April 11 to 18 in Abidjan.
Held under the theme “Performing Arts in Africa as a Tool for Economic and Social Integration,” this new edition will welcome 89 artists from 51 African countries. The festival will blend tradition, modernity, and innovation.
Featuring a Children’s Village, an Innovation Village, as well as heritage and contemporary stages, this edition promises to reinvent African live performance while reaffirming its role in cultural and economic integration.
According to MASA’s Director General, Abdramane Kamaté, 89 groups and artists will showcase the diversity and richness of the continent’s cultural expressions—an impressive figure that highlights the festival’s growing appeal.
This edition is already breaking records: more than 2,250 applications from 103 countries were received, an unprecedented number in MASA’s history.
Fifty-one of Africa’s 54 countries expressed their intention to participate, underscoring the festival’s influence and the confidence artists place in it.
To select the participants, two bodies worked closely together. The International Artistic Committee (IAC)—comprising 23 experts from 19 countries—reviewed 1,866 applications submitted via the official platform. The outcome: 60 artists and groups from 28 countries were selected, representing a wide range of disciplines including music, theatre, contemporary dance, slam poetry, circus arts, and street performance.
