A person is a person only through other people.
Intro
I did not get here alone. Not even close. There were teachers who stayed late, doors opened by people who did not have to, opportunities extended by those who saw something in me before I saw it in myself. A village, in the truest sense of the word. And a village only works if you are willing to be a villager, not just a beneficiary of it.
Giving back is the most basic form of accountability I know. What I have been given, I am responsible for passing on. That is the math. And I intend to do it for as long as I can.
The story
My love of art did not arrive by accident. It came from my aunt, Marème Samb Malong — my biggest role model, and the woman who built Fondation MAM. She created one of Cameroon’s most significant cultural institutions from the ground up — Galerie MAM in Douala, and the Foundation itself, rooted in Grand Suza and connected to artists and thinkers across the continent and beyond.
Thirty years ago, through the Galerie MAM in Douala, she demanded that African art be seen on its own merit — respected, not exoticized. When opportunities did not align with her principles, she walked away. That is the kind of integrity that does not need to announce itself.
Growing up, she took me to exhibitions, asked what I saw, and let me stumble toward my own eyes. She was teaching me, before I knew I was being taught, that art is a bridge — between generations, between cultures, between who we were and who we are becoming.
Some things you inherit. Others you choose.
This one is both.
Passing the baton
Taking the baton is coming home.
In 2026 she passed me the baton. I am aware of the size of the shoes.
Fondation MAM works across Senegal and Cameroon — residencies for artists, workshops for young people, books for hungry minds. Quietly, consistently, on our own terms. I am honored to lead this next chapter, alongside an extraordinary board and the Friends of the Foundation who make all of it possible.
Find out more about Fondation MAM :
Initiatives
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Brisons Les Règles
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