Ivory Coast's 'Real Boys' address drug use, violence through dance

Members of the Ivorian dance crew the Real Boys perform during the Market for Performing Arts in Abidjan (MASA) at the Culture Palace in Abidjan, Ivory Coast March 7, 2022. Picture taken March 7, 2022. REUTERS/Luc Gnago

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - On a dimly lit stage in Abidjan one member of the dance group lies motionless on the floor, legs splayed, while seven others dance around him in an intense hip-hop routine meant to warn about the dangers of drug use and gang violence in Ivory Coast.

The "Real Boys", a male dance group based in Abidjan, was formed in 2014 but had to wait until this month for a breakthrough when they performed their show "Ghetto" at the Abidjan Market for Performing Arts (MASA), one of Africa's oldest and biggest artistic showcase events.