NEMO PROPHETA IN PATRIA – Venice Biennale

After its 2022 debut, the Republic of Cameroon returns to the spotlight at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with the project “Nemo propheta in patria,” inviting 5 Cameroonian artists and 8 international artists from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Colombia, and China.

Local artists include Jean Michel Dissake, Hako Hankson, Kendji & Ollo Arts, Patrick-Joël Tatcheda Yonkeu, Guy Wouete, while the international lineup features Angelo Accardi, Julia Bornefeld, Cesare Catania, Adélaïde Laurent-Bellue, Franco Mazzucchelli, Rex and Edna Volcan, Giorgio Tentolini, and Liu Youju. The Pavilion is hosted at Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, which has been home to Biennale National Pavilions for years, thanks to Francesco and Chiara Donà dalle Rose and their namesake private foundation.

After bringing the first official NFT exhibition to the Biennale in 2022, the Republic of Cameroon Pavilion is the first to stage a Zero Carbon Emissions show, working in two complementary directions: policies will be implemented to reduce emissions and reuse materials and, at the end of the exhibition, all aspects related to the show will be measured using GHG standards to calculate CO2 emissions and offset them by planting certified trees to create a new forest in Cameroon.

Inspired by the Biennale theme “Foreigners Everywhere,” the exhibition project led by commissioner Serge Achille Ndouma and curators Paul Emmanuel Loga Mahop and Sandro Orlandi Stagl explores a theme that has spread everywhere and characterizes every era. The Latin saying “Nemo propheta in patria” (No one is a prophet in their own land) highlights how rarely a person enjoys prestige and recognition in the place where they were born and where everyone knows them. Conversely, it’s more likely to happen elsewhere, among strangers. In this context, a prophet is simply someone misunderstood by their contemporaries and compatriots because of their dissonant nature. This figure stands out for something—not necessarily at extreme levels or genius—but for the ability to see beyond, to see what others don’t, to anticipate the times, and to think differently from the crowd. For this reason, they’re often misunderstood, especially in their home community, where there’s a stronger expectation of conforming to the group’s “norms.”

There are many historical cases where enlightened individuals had to change countries due to opposition to their ideas or beliefs, or were only recognized after death. Art has always led the way in overcoming discrimination and spreading ideas across every social and geographic context.

In short, the Latin saying reflects a universal truth about the difficulty many innovators face in being appreciated and understood in their native environment, where expectations of conformity often prevail. As part of a Biennale dedicated to foreigners and their diasporas, the National Pavilion of the Republic of Cameroon brings to international attention several Cameroonian and international artists, outside their native context but involved in a far-sighted project. The project broadly celebrates those who had to leave their community in search of work, recognition, and perhaps success elsewhere. Millions of migrants have faced this situation in every era, and it’s fair to say no nation has been spared—both in fueling this phenomenon and in suffering from it.

The Republic of Cameroon Pavilion presents itself as the “pavilion of wonders,” where projects by local and international artists come together to celebrate the courage of those who never gave up on their ideas, regardless of local recognition, looking ambitiously toward a well-deserved international horizon. A pavilion where differences are seen as wealth and where no one feels like a “foreigner.”

During the opening period, the Republic of Cameroon Pavilion, together with the Donà dalle Rose Foundation, will host numerous events featuring international artists including the Cypriot Alexandros Yorkadjis, the Scandinavian Sonia Cristoph, the Englishman Tony d’Amico, and the American David Sirota, along with Italian voices Alice Valenti, Patrizia Ratti, David Berkovitz, and Gianluca Balocco. It’s a high-impact cultural program, promising plenty of surprises and emotion.

The Pavilion is made possible thanks to the support of the Donà dalle Rose Foundation, the BIAS Institute, Doge Venice Red Carpet, and Cometh.