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Colonne Pascale

Colonne Pascale is a public artwork in Douala, Cameroon, commissioned by doual’art and created by Pascale Marthine Tayou. It was inaugurated in 2010 and restored in 2013. The sculpture is shaped like a totem and consists of 76 enamel pots stacked on top of one another, with every second pot turned upside down like a lid on the one below. It stands 12 meters tall at a roundabout in the heart of New Bell. Tayou intended the work as a tribute to women as carriers of Cameroonian culinary tradition. The piece also prompted controversy among local residents because of its location and its association with the area’s history and poverty.

Colonne Pascale made of stacked pale yellow pots with lids and small handles
Colonne Pascale, a tall vertical sculpture formed from stacked pale yellow pots.
December 2010 © Chiara Somajni · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colonne Pascale, a tall pale yellow column made of stacked pots with decorative bands, standing on a reddish base outdoors.
Colonne Pascale rises as a stacked-pot sculpture on a reddish base in an open outdoor setting.
December 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colonne Pascale, a tall segmented column standing outdoors among buildings and vehicles.
Colonne Pascale rises above the street in an urban setting, with buildings, vehicles, and a billboard nearby.
December 2010 © Chiara Somajni · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colonne Pascale with a white winged figure above a spherical base beside a tall yellow stacked column.
Colonne Pascale, showing a white winged figure and a tall stacked column against a blue sky.
December 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
People gathered outdoors near a FRANCE LAIT billboard and utility lines under a clear sky.
People gathered outdoors beneath a FRANCE LAIT billboard, with utility lines crossing the sky in the background.
December 2010 © Chiara Somajni · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleColonne Pascale
TypePermanent public artwork; totem-like column
Original titlePascale-Säule

Creator

ArtistPascale Marthine Tayou
Commissioned bydoual'art

Historical context

Historical site contextThe roundabout was the epicenter of the riots that led to Cameroon's independence
Inaugurated2010

Discovery and provenance

LocationNew Bell district, Douala, Cameroon, in a busy roundabout

Physical characteristics

Height12 metres
Composition76 stacked enamel pots and 38 lids; every second pot is turned upside down and placed like a lid on the pot below

Materials

MaterialVitreous enamel cookware, including pots, casseroles, and lids

Appearance

FormA simple, uncluttered vertical line rising into the sky like a mast

Iconography and meaning

PurposeA tribute to African women and to Cameroonian culinary tradition
Cultural referenceUses former household cooking vessels traditionally used by local housewives to preserve food and drinks

Location and ownership

Current locationRoundabout in the heart of the New Bell district, Douala, Cameroon

History and restoration

Restored2013

Significance

Public receptionDebated and controversial among local residents
Controversy reasonIts location is linked to historically significant events, and some people said it highlighted the poverty of New Bell