Senegalese Artist Centers on Politics, Pandemic

Violent demonstrations¹ broke out in Senegal earlier this month in protest of injustice² and inequality in the country. Artist Omar Ba protested in a different way: he painted.

Ba said that what young people are doing in the streets, he is doing in his workspace near the country's capital, Dakar.

Ba is one of Senegal's best-known modern artists. He has often used his art to make political statements. Currently, some of his paintings are on show at the Galerie Templon in Brussels, Belgium. The show, called Anomalies, comments on power-hungry world leaders through a series of paintings of imaginary heads of state. An anomaly is something that is unusual or unexpected.

Ba said he was shocked to see such intense violence on the streets of his own country.

"These are things I had seen on TV, but never here," he told Reuters.

"I think visual art is something I have to use to denounce what's not working, or to talk about what is positive, in society."

The protests began after the arrest of a popular opposition³ leader, but widened into demonstrations about economic inequality, a condition worsened by the COVID-19 crisis. Thousands took to the streets. Some protesters threw rocks at police. Security forces fired their guns at protesters.

Some people worry that Senegal's President Macky Sall will try to extend his rule beyond the permitted two terms. Other African leaders have used constitutional changes to extend their time in power.

Sall has not commented on whether he will seek a third term.

Ba normally does not give names to the subjects he paints. But for his next collection, he said he might paint Sall.

Ba said once leaders are elected, they completely change their way of thinking and speaking. He said that is why he named his art show Anomalies.

Four of the 12 paintings in the series deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Colorful shapes and Ba's own footprints cover the canvas, representing a sense of confusion and how it feels to be trapped.

COVID-19 exposed inequality and corruption⁴ in Africa, Ba said. He said the wealthy were forced to depend on the same troubled public health services that the poor must use. Normally, the rich seek better care elsewhere.

Ba said, "Nobody could take planes to get treatment in Europe or the United States." He add that "for once people realized that in their own hospitals there was nothing."

Words in This Story

visual – adj. relating to seeing or to the eyes

positive – adj. good or useful

society –n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

canvas –n. a specially⁵ prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted by an artist

confusion –n. a situation in which people are uncertain about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly

1 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

2 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。