''Borne Fontaine'' (or ''Kiosque à eau'') is a permanent

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

, from artist Danièle Diwouta-Kotto, inaugurated in 2003. It is located in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...

(

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

The artwork

Borne Fontaine is a

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

work in

(

. Its creation was commissioned by

Doual'art doual'art is a non profit cultural organisation and art centre founded in 1991 in Douala, Cameroon and focussed on new urban practices of African cities. History doual'art was registered as a non profit organization in 1992 and it was establish ...

, produced by Danièle Diwouta-Kotto, then offered to the Douala Municipality. It was inaugurated in 2003 during the SUD - Salon Urbain de Douala 2007. It is an artwork of 3 by 4 meters, with a height of 6 meters. Before its construction, Danièle Diwouta-Kotto, an architect whose firm secured the prime contractor, had had several conversations with the community. During these exchanges, the architect had invited people to imagine what might look like a fire hydrant ideal. The people of Bessengu-Akwa wanted a framework that would be a meeting point, would offer an attractive sight and would also provide

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

. Following the interviews, the architect has made several proposals and people chose the model that corresponded most to their expectations. This small building was therefore conceived as a public and paying fountain, as well as a food outlet. In particular, the roof reflects the style of the ephemeral building, created by the artist Jesús Palomino, in the workshop ''Bessengue City'' organized by

Goddy Leye Goddy Leye (24 November 1965 in Mbouda, Cameroon – 19 February 2011 in Bonendale, Cameroon) was a Cameroonian artist and intellectual. His work is focused on videos, installations, conceptual art and theoretical contributions. He is the f ...

and theart center

ArtBakery ArtBakery is an art centre based in the village of Bonendale a few kilometers from Douala and founded by Goddy Leye. The centre offers trainings for emerging artists (Master Class), journalists (Art Daily) and residency programs for young artist ...

.
Cameroon: The aesthetics of water
' in IRIN for Humanitarian Affairs and Analysis of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 20/05/2008; It is restored in 2013, the walls being repainted. Borne Fountaine Bessengue Douala 12.JPG Douala 2003 29.jpg Borne Fountaine Bessengue Douala 13.JPG Borne Fountaine Bessengue Douala 15.JPG Borne Fountaine Bessengue Douala 06.JPG Borne Fountaine Bessengue photo 2012 03.JPG

* Pensa, Iolanda (Ed.) 2017. Public Art in Africa. Art et transformations urbaines à Douala /// Art and Urban Transformations in Douala. Genève: Metis Presses. * Babina, L., and Douala Bell, M. (eds.). (2007): Douala in Translation. A View of the City and Its Creative Transformative Potentials, Rotterdam, Episode Publishers. * Pucciarelli, M. (2015). «Culture and Safety in Douala: The Cases of New Bell and Bessengue », in Bonini Lessing, E. (ed.), Urban Safety and Security, Franco Angeli, pp- 69-79. * Verschuren, K., X. Nibbeling and L. Grandin. (2012): Making Douala 2007-2103, Rotterdam, ICU art project. * Kaze, R. and Tchakam, S. (2009): «Bessengué Akwa. L’institution communale démissionne». In Liquid n°03, (Juillet - Août - Septembre 2009). * Marta Pucciarelli (2014) Final Report. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Laboratory of visual culture

References

List of public art in Douala This is a list of public art in Douala, within the city and its adjacent municipalities, including statues, sculptures, murals and other significant artworks located outside in public view. Sites Permanent artwork ...

Contemporary African art Contemporary African art is commonly understood to be art made by artists in Africa and the African diaspora in the post-independence era. However, there are about as many understandings of contemporary African art as there are curators, scholars ...

{{Portal, Arts, Cameroon Culture in Douala Fountains

The artwork

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Bibliographie

References

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