CultureIvory Coast’s Biama boom gets young people dancing

Biama emerged about five years ago in Yopougon, the poorest yet liveliest district of Ivory Coast’s economic capital, Abidjan. The musical and choreographic style has since sent young people across the country dancing. It moves faster than coupé-décalé and borrows many elements from that older genre. But while coupé-décalé is linked to fashionable nightclubs, Biama thrives in streets and on social media, making it more accessible to its young working-class audience.