Douala Triennale [Salon Urbain de Douala - SUD] (2007)

SUD is a festival of public art and contemporary art taking place every three years in Douala, Cameroon. The triennial is promoted by the art centre doual’art, a cultural organisation that focussed on new urban practices of African cities. It reflects on the place and the role of art in revealing histories and creating senses in the city. The triennial produces a collaborative process that involves the local organizations to realize the projects designed by contemporary artists.

In 2013, the third edition of SUD was entitled “Douala Metamorphosis” that refers to the creative transformation of a specific urban space. The triennial asked artists, designers, and architects to reflect on creative ways of making urban metamorphosis by using visual art, performance art, videography and music. The event also held discussions on urban citizenship and responsible appropriation of public space by the local inhabitants.

Marrakech Biennale [Arts in Marrakech - AiM] (2005)

AiM is a major festival that focuses on contemporary visual art, literature and film. It was initiated to encourage dialogue among international and local arts communities, and showcase eclectic venues in Marrakech, Morocco. The biennial seeks to boost the regional creative scene by enabling discussions and debates with artists. The event encourages parallel projects and maintains a balance between several artistic disciplines. It is presented in three different languages: Arabic, French and English. Last year, the fifth edition of AiM was organized around the theme “Where are we now?” with curators responding to that question through their own perspective: visual art, performing art, literature, and videography.

East Africa Art Biennale [Eastafab] (2003)

Eastafab was created in order to promote the contemporary arts of East Africa. It is organized by a non-governmental, non-commercial association registered and based in Tanzania, which includes committees in East-African countries with the purpose of acting as an intermediate between the association and the local artists. Every artist from East Africa can participate to the biennale, whether still living locally or having migrated abroad. Galleries, museums, and private collections representing artists from East Africa can also participate. Even foreign artists residing in East Africa or whose productions are related to the region as well as African artists from other regions than East Africa are invited to showcase their art. Recent editions of Eastafab moved across East Africa, with exhibitions traveling to several countries of the region.

Sao Tomé e Principe Biennale (1995)

Sao Tome e Principe Biennale seeks to promote the artistic creation of Santomean across the world. It aims to promote a space for meeting and sharing different types of art in the promotion of the relation between artists from Africa and other continents. It helps a generation of Santomean artists working locally or going to study art in Portugal. In the first editions, there was an emphasis on cultural heritage seen from African artists and the Portuguese speaking world. In the last edition, the curators rethought cultural heritage by introducing new ways of redesigning the country, and inviting artists and critics from other parts of the world. Angola participated as invited country to help establish a permanent platform for artistic and cultural exchanges between these countries.

Sources: Biennial Foundation presents an interactive map of different biennials all over the world with a summary for each event.