In the heart of Douala, where the city’s pulse beats loudest, Rue De La Joie reimagines familiar streets as open-air stages of creativity, transforming everyday life into a living canvas of art, expression, and community. This multidisciplinary art exhibition turns one of Douala’s iconic streets into a vibrant celebration of Cameroonian culture, reminding us that art is not confined to galleries but lives in the everyday rhythm of urban life.
As I walked through the event with my camera, the street came alive in layers of colour and movement. Barbers offered live haircuts under open skies while the scent of roasting meat mixed with the sweetness of puff-puff and beans. Vendors called out prices of second-hand clothes and airtime, children darted through crowds with bright smiles, and the air was filled with music as artists painted in real time, each stroke mirroring the heartbeat of the community around them.
Rue De La Joie is more than a tribute to a place; it is a tribute to what the street represents—resilience, hustle, laughter, noise, and the collective energy that defines Douala’s spirit. The event brings together renowned creatives like stylist Brisse Toukam and artist Guy Kouekam, alongside musicians, designers, and everyday vendors, showing that the arts are most powerful when shared with the community they emerge from.
Through this series, I aimed to capture the quiet power of these moments—the laughter shared over street food, the focused hands of a barber shaping a fade under the sky, the painter’s brush pausing mid-stroke as a child peeks in curiosity. These images remind us that creativity is not something separate from everyday life; it lives within it, in the joy of community, in the colours of a market, and in the music that drifts between buildings.
In Rue De La Joie, I found a story of hope and celebration, a reminder that even within the fast-moving pace of city life, there is beauty worth pausing for—beauty created by people who find joy in their craft and share it with those around them. This project stands as a celebration of Cameroonian creativity and the everyday artistry that defines the streets of Douala.
