First article in two-part series
Nearly 5,000 miles away from New York, Ivorian artists have already begun adapting to a life without funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) since President Donald Trump dismantled the agency as a part of his America First agenda, leaving millions of people to fend for themselves.
Despite the rollback in funding, artists are sending a powerful message to New York, home to the largest African diaspora in the U.S., through a symbolic letter to urge them to stay connected.
Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, a New York-Ivorian artist known as Aboudia, whose work is on display at the Ethan Cohen Gallery, said staying connected to Africa is essential, no matter what the circumstances.
“I would tell them to not forget [Africa]. It is good to leave, but it is good to come back with what we have learned elsewhere to develop our land — this land [from which we are] born — because we must leave a cultural, intellectual, heritage legacy to future generations,” he told the AmNews.
Aboudia said it’s important for the African diaspora to be “connected for the exchange, whether it is cultural business, family and all [other things] that follows.”
Mamadou Ballo, an Ivorian-based artist who protects the environment by using recycled bottles and boxes to create art, said he plans to stay connected to the New York diaspora through storytelling. When his art is “well made, it’s going to cross borders,” he said.
He told the AmNews that another way he wants to stay connected to the diaspora is by reopening his art house, which hosted artists from all over the world. This, he said, will bring the diaspora together now that there is more of a need for art programming. His art space had closed because a landlord sold it.
A report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences titled “Art for Life’s Sake, the Case for Art Education” found that 88% of the American public supports art and agrees it is an integral part of a “well-rounded education.”
Until Ballo can get his art house back up and running, which requires financing, he and Aboudia are training local children at a resort called La Maison D’akoula, which brings in kids from the community. They are building “The School of Beauty,” which Renaud Chauvin Buthaud conceptualized with his wife, Akoula Amon; he named part of the resort after her.
Buthaud, a philanthropist, said creating “sculptures” and craftsmanship is one of the many art areas neglected in the education sector — a gap he is filling. He also urged the New York African diaspora not to forget about the motherland, even if the U.S. has withdrawn funding and some of its presence.
Aboudia, who has sold an art piece for $640,000, is regarded as a prominent artist, but for Buthaud, “It’s not because you’re at the top level that you think you are close to God.” He said some people may think they are too big to come down on the “ground” and teach aspiring artists.
Aboudia, who still splits his time between New York and Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), said the team is independent and will continue without the support of the Trump administration, but he wants the diaspora to get involved in understanding the value of art.
For Gnaka Lagoke, an Ivorian citizen and an associate professor of Pan-Africana studies and history at Lincoln University, the time that the U.S. pulled aid couldn’t come sooner.
“I am in favor of Africa’s sovereignty and Africa’s independence, and it is about time for African leaders to put more emphasis on self-sufficiency and self-reliance,” Lagoke said. “That is the most important lesson they have to draw from the dissolution of the U.S. aid.”
Lagoke, a self-described pan-Africanist, said he, along with many experts, was caught off guard when Trump pulled aid, but he believes African nations will have to find a way.
“I was surprised by the abrupt way of doing things by Donald J. Trump,” Lagoke said. “I’m going to quote Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, who said African countries now have the responsibility to look for local solutions as the agency is not going to be able to continue doing what it was doing for Africa in the field of development, in the field of humanitarian causes.”
Despite the challenges, Ivorian artists and leaders remain committed to their mission to foster a strong bond between the continent and its diaspora. Artists like Aboudia and Ballo are proving that creative expression is more than just an outlet — it’s a tool for connection. Their message to the diaspora is clear: Even if governments pull back, Africa must not be forgotten.