Sabodala gold, Sabodala zombies, Sabodala riders.

The Senegalese artist, photographer Djibril Dramé has an intimate relationship with the artistic subjects he approaches, analyzes and reproduces. He likes to see his subjects take over in a photographic duel, take the initiative and "make" the photo. Just as Warhol said, everyone has their 15 minutes of fame. Djibril likes to approach these moments with his subject, like in Hollywood, in the Old West, making him a hero, a loser who wins. Thus confirming his fascination for the cult film Touki Bouki by Mambeti Diop. Here in this new series, after the recent "Jesus is Black", Djibril makes us discover the gold of Sabodala. Sabodala, this dream of Senegal suddenly discovering itself rich. Sabodala gold of Djibril Dramé is like a hymn which wants to be a song, captured in a beautiful Sahelian setting where the harmattan fires come to extinguish. A beautiful ochre of dust filled with life, misery, hope and resistance, juxtaposes with the camera of Djibril.

His Sabodala Zombies with their "Djakarta" motorcycles come and go, in the background of the territory, which suddenly becomes a playground. They are like the remains of an extinct dream, mixed with the nostalgia of our Africa of proud warriors in our ancestral savannahs. The Senegal of our traditions, of our customs, of our youth that has difficulty hiding its dream and its difficulties to survive here. 

Obstacles that unite us, disunite us. But where is the gold of Sabodala? Where is the gold of Sabodala?

The images in this new series by Djibril Dramé make us discover a resistance, a resilience in the face of the evils of our Africa with in the background a call to discover gold with him, even if all that shines is not gold. 

Curated and written by Modou Dieng Yacine.