Village Ki-Yi M'Bock

Village Ki-Yi M'Bock, in Cocody, is a cultural and artist residence founded in 1985 by the Cameroonian-Ivorian writer, director and artist Werewere Liking, built around a philosophy of pan-African artistic collaboration across theater, dance, music, puppetry and visual art. The compound functions as both a living community for resident artists and a venue for performances, workshops and exhibitions, giving visitors a rare chance to see West African contemporary performing arts created and rehearsed on site rather than staged purely for tourists. The village's buildings and open-air performance spaces reflect a distinctive handmade aesthetic, incorporating sculpture, masks and painted structures created by the resident artists themselves. A visit during a scheduled performance or workshop, when these are announced, typically runs 1-2 hours or longer, offering an immersive look at contemporary Ivorian and pan-African performance traditions; a general visit to see the grounds and artwork, when performances are not scheduled, can be considerably shorter. Because the village's program depends on an active schedule of events rather than fixed opening hours, visitors benefit from checking ahead locally for upcoming performances or open days. The site holds a distinctive place in Abidjan's cultural landscape as a living, working artistic community rather than a static museum, and a visit during an active event gives the clearest sense of its ongoing creative life.