Beya Gille Gacha Curates Immersive NZƏNDA Pavilion for Cameroon at Venice Biennale

At the 61st Venice Biennale, the Republic of Cameroon presents NZƏNDA, an immersive pavilion curated by artist Beya Gille Gacha. The title, a Medumba word meaning 'the door' or 'the way home,' reflects the pavilion's concept as a sensory journey rather than a conventional exhibition. Featuring six artists—including Bienvenue Fotso, Neals Niat, Zora Snake, and Jail Time Records—the pavilion integrates sound, architecture, medicinal plants, performance, and contemporary art to explore healing, memory, ancestry, and ecology. Gacha describes the space as a 'total work' where visitors cross thresholds and engage with Indigenous knowledge systems. The pavilion is housed in a former chapel at the Gervasuti Foundation in Venice, running until November 22, 2026. Gacha emphasizes that the work responds to Biennale curator Koyo Kouoh's theme 'In Minor Keys' by favoring resonance over spectacle, and that the pavilion speaks from Cameroon rather than about it, embodying a living tradition that generates new forms.