Yaoundé: Reine Dibussi exhibits Afro Feminism Arts

Who could have thought that a beautiful girl as intelligent and charming like Reine Dibussi will love to be stained with paintings all over her?

Or event think she'll be attached to the pencil...

Reine Dibussi is one of those Cameroonian artist who uses paint and pencil to talk to the rest of the world through her unique and enticing images.

Being a female did not stop her from following her dream as an artist.

Reine paintings goes from comic to what I will describe as a true image with an each having a beautiful story.

Last Wednesday was sure an exciting day for Reine as people from near and far came to see the diverse art work by this young talented Cameroonian artist.

Her exhibition titled "Divergences Dessinées" where she showcased her most recent paintings.

Her paintings looked so real and the story behind each painting is just so unique and amazing.

I had an opportunity to chit chat with Reins and I just had to ask her some few questions.

Glow Monat: what inspired you to become artist?

Reine Dibussi: Hello Tina, You know, every child draws, so as many other designers, I’ve just never stopped drawing.

I drew and I wrote and read a lot.

Comics, illustrated stories, books... I just had stories to tell and to show.
When I was in high school I wanted to become a doctor, but life just drove me into art.

First I just told myself that I would draw as a hobby because, you know, “art doesn’t pay”, but then I just couldn’t stand that my drawings and illustrations weren’t professional enough and that they didn’t match those of all the artists I admired.

I wanted to understand why and be just like them. And I was also very much frustrated that I couldn’t spend as much time as I wanted on my drawings.

So after three years at university I applied to Emile Cohl artschool in Lyon, to actually learn how to be an artist and find ways to earn my life and work in that field.

GM: What are the stories behind your paintings?

RD: Well, actual stories in fact, such as ‘Peau d’Âne’ by Charles Perrault. Sometimes I illustrate written stories, tales or just sentences.

So writings are very much behind my paintings.

But if you’re talking specifically about the subjects I like to draw about, I will say women and their strength, afrofeminism and the representation of black characters in art.

Like many other artists of my generation I work on how to represent women, black women, and black people in general better than what we have been given to see in art until now.

Humanity is complex and as an artist I force myself to see it and accept it as it is, and then draw it. I’m also against all kind of discriminations and I try to show that in my art.

GM: And what do you think about Cameroonian artists and how do people look at artist like you?

RD: Cameroonian artists are great!

When I was in art school I used to go online and look up for Cameroonian comic designers and other artists -mainly in my field but not only to see what they were doing.

That’s how I found out about the work of Yannick Deubou, Nouther, Le Collectif A3, Elyon’s and Kiro’o Games before I actually get to meet them in person.

And when I came back in Cameroon those were the ones to literally greet me in the country and introduced me to other artists.

It is a strong and resourceful community which really helps and accompanies students, young designers and cartoonists in the art industry in Cameroon.

So far I admire that. They’re creative, stong-willed people and they look for solutions to improve their status in the Cameroonian society.

So I think and I feel like they are not “looming” over me, on the contrary.
They consider me as a peer, a real artist, who has something to say like the others and I think they expect me to be as generous with knowledge and opportunities to other artists who are struggling as they’ve been to me, which is normal, I think.

So, forgive me, but Cameroonian artists (at least all those I’ve met) are great!

GM: How did you feel during the exhibition?

RD: I was so nervous! It was my second exhibition, but the first solo one. So
it was a big deal.
I knew I was ready to show my work to people, but I was terrified that I wouldn’t be clear enough, that people wouldn’t understand my art.

But people did get what I wanted to say, and also what and why I drew it. People seemed pleased.

So just enjoyed the moment and told myself “good, and after that, get back to work!”

I was so fulfilled and seriously my time there was well spent as I glanced through beautiful paintings. I never knew a pencil could do that much...