Palais de la Culture Bernard Binlin-Dadié

Built between 1996 and 1999 with an interest-free loan of about 21 billion CFA francs from China, and inaugurated on 1 October 1999, the Palais de la Culture was the largest cultural infrastructure investment made in Côte d'Ivoire since independence. Designed by the architect Francis Sossah in a postmodern style that blends monumental scale with references to traditional forms, the complex spans some 12,900 square metres on the Treichville lagoon shore between the Houphouët-Boigny and Général-de-Gaulle bridges, and contains four performance halls seating 500, 605, 1,000 and 2,500 people respectively, along with exhibition spaces, rehearsal rooms and administrative offices. It was renamed in later years for the writer Bernard Binlin Dadié, one of Côte d'Ivoire's most prominent literary figures, in recognition of his contribution to Ivorian culture. The complex has hosted the country's major cultural events, including editions of the Marché des Arts et du Spectacle d'Abidjan (MASA), national theatre and dance festivals, and political and civic ceremonies, making it the principal venue for large-scale public culture in Abidjan since its opening. Its grounds hold an unusual artefact of Ivorian political history: the country's first presidential aircraft, a Fokker F27 used to transport Houphouët-Boigny, which has been preserved and converted into a library open to the public. The building sustained wear during the political instability of the 2000s but has remained in continuous use and has undergone periodic renovation of its halls and technical equipment to keep pace with international touring productions.