Artists abandon Abidjan for Ivory Coast beachside haven

ABIDJAN – Far from the hustle and bustle of Ivory Coast’s biggest city, the tropical climes, sea air and history of Grand-Bassam have made the sleepy UNESCO-listed town a magnet for artists.
Under French imperial rule, the southwestern town was Ivory Coast’s capital, with the mix of people who settled there making it a centre of arts and culture.
The old quarter where vegetation clambers across the facades of ruined colonial-era houses and winds it way through windows was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.
Grand-Bassam is inspiring, with a past steeped in artisanal crafts.
Burkinabes and Malians, arriving on the Comoe River at the dawn of the 20th century, brought bazin, batik and indigo fabrics. 
Ibrahim Ketoure has thrown open his studio and gallery to other artists, who like him became jaded by their time in the vast economic hub, Abidjan, 30 kilometres away.
The heat seeps through the windows of the colonial-style building surrounded by palm trees which over two years has blossomed into a haven of creativity.
With its six million residents, Abidjan is an “urban conglomeration, traffic jams everywhere, while in Grand-Bassam life is good,” Ketoure, in his 30s, told AFP.
“There’s the beach, the lagoon, it’s quite relaxing in order to have an artistic frame of mind,” he added.
Serge Nean finds inspiration in the sea and crafts jewellery out of the shells washed up by the waves a hundred metres (yards) from the atelier.
On its terrasse, Cape Verdean Jean-Philippe Goncalves sketches — the former industrial cleaning worker ended up staying in Grand-Bassam to become a landscaper.
Down the street, sculptor Paul Akossi has a small gallery where he makes masks and colourful statues.
Historian and tourist guide Akueson Nandouhard said artists had arrived in their droves.
“There are hundreds of artists who have left Abidjan and come here,” he said.