Worlds of East African Coast

The Alliance Fran?aise invite you on a  journey along the East African Coast, from the past to the present and the future, through an exhibition of Swahili carved doors, a performance lecture recounting the origins of the ubiquitous leso, contemporary cinema, music and literature.  

The Swahili Coast stretches from Mogadishu in Somalia in the North to Sofala in Mozambique in the South, encompassing islands such as Madagascar, Comoros, Zanzibar, Pemba and Lamu among others. It is renowned for its impressive carved doors, often more than a century old. Of various styles, these doors come from a tradition that has its roots in the Middle Ages. They illustrate the variety of tastes, customs and populations that have coexisted, each owner choosing his door according to his social and community affiliation.