ARTIST PRESENTATION
Pape Daouda Gueye was born in Dakar in 1927, the Senegalese capital, in a traditional Lebu village in the name of Ouakam. He belongs to one of the largest family founders of the village, Jaraaf of birth (supreme leader of the Lebu community, who has the role of President of the Republic). He did his studies at a French school ; at 19 years old in 1946-1947, he then decided to settle in Gambia as a retailer.
Creative, he started to be interested in photography and started to buy specials magazines to get started.
On a visit to Dakar, he bought his first camera and equipment to set up his studio.
DEBUT AND CAREER IN GAMBIA
Back to Gambia, he did a brief formation of 3 days at a photographer's named Abdoulaye Diallo to improve his skills and opens his first studio, “Etoile Studio” in the Banjul capital at the exact address of DG 80, Lancaster Street, and becomes very quickly the official photographer of the petite bourgeoisie, women and men adorned and elegantly living in Gambia like his family in Dakar passing by the Gambian capital. Hired as a photographer by the administration for administrative documents such as identity cards, he also traveled the entire Gambian province: more than 50 kilometers by bike to realize photographs in remote villages. He also immortalized all the big key events of Gambia, newly independent : national day, religious events, and even the political one. He never missed an occasion to immortalize history through its lens : he photographed all the gambian great men, religious ones and political ones, like for example Diawara, the first president of the independent Gambia in 1965. RETURN AND ARTISTIC JOURNEY IN SENEGAL
After 26 years in Banjul, bedridden and thinking it was very serious Banjul, he decided to return in Dakar back to his family for treatment. But very quickly, 2 to 3 months later, he recovers and makes the choice to stay in Senegal. As a shopkeeper, he continued his activities, but, caught up by his passion, he opened his own studio in Ouakam called ‘Flash studio’.
His debuts were a little difficult because, in Dakar, there were already renowned photographers such as Mame Casset and Jacques in Ouakam, who already had a loyal clientele. The first persons to frequent his studio were the N’Gorois and Lebu village Ouakam neighbors, but, from mouth to ear, his studio started to be frequented by the Ouakamois and the Ouakamoises. Quickly, her talent and his seriousness work wonders. He was the must-have photographer of the village and the surroundings. Ouakam, as a crossroads village, with his military camps, he continued to make identity pictures for the soldiers and young civil servants, students and pupils, and well-known personalities. Like in Gambia, he will also be hired by the military administration to realize identity photography and administrative ones. Later on, some people came back to thank him for his generosity, as he often gave the photos away, especially to young servicemen of various nationalities who didn't have the means. Many generations have passed under his lens and his studio ; became a must until the end of the 1990s.
Among the political personalities, he followed all the campaigns of Mamadou Diop, a young politician who campaigned and became mayor of Dakar in 1984. He also fixed his lens on customary, traditional, and religious events, which we'll be coming back to in other exhibitions.
He also formed many people, like his children, who continued to run the studio until 2015.
EXCEPTIONAL JOURNEY !
Mr. Daouda Gueye is a great man who, at the age of 95, has retained an exceptional memory with remarkable modernity. His spirit is clear-sighted and sharp, certainly due to his artistic and entrepreneurial spirit, his exceptional career, and his education. He belongs to a great noble family, and his lineage alone could have ensured him the life of a great notable.
Remarkable, he renounced to become a Jaraaf despite all the attributes associated with his rank, to continue to lead a life of hard work.Right up until his 92nd birthday, he was still active and devoted himself to his other passion: farming on the land he inherited from his ancestors in Ouakam.
' Unfortunately, urbanization has turned Ouakam into a big city, and the surrounding fields have all disappeared in favor of concrete buildings,' he laments.
This is a brief summary of a remarkable artistic life shared between Senegal and Gambia, which deserves to be told to the younger generation keen to preserve such a shared cultural heritage between two countries, and especially for Ouakam.
Commissioner : Astou Sall
Copyright: video and images : Jendalma and Wyb Group
Media : they talked about us.
- Print media : Enquêtes+; le quotidien; Walf quotidien
- Radio: RFM
- Websites : ausenegal.com; le quotidien; l'AS; senenews; journal Enquêtes+
TV news : TFM and DTV
