Biama dance trend boosts jobs in Ivory Coast

Five years after it burst out of Yopougon—the gritty heart of Abidjan—Ivory Coast’s newest dance craze, Biama, has turned the country’s youth into a national flash mob. Shot on smartphones and spread across TikTok, the high-energy street style has pushed coupé-décalé off the club stages and onto every corner where teens meet.

Biama was born in the back alleys of Yopougon, a district known more for its poverty than its polish. Unlike coupé-décalé, which still relies on expensive sound systems and VIP guest lists, Biama travels light: a few quick steps, sharp shoulder pops, and a beat that can be made by clapping on any flat surface. When night falls, sidewalks in Cocody and Yopougon become dance floors; when the sun rises, the videos keep going viral, racking up tens of millions of views in weeks.

Dance crews like “Biama Boys Abidjan” now post tutorials with hashtags that climb straight to the top of Ivory Coast’s trending list. One recent clip showed a group of market vendors breaking into the routine at 6 a.m., turning crates into drum kits. The trend’s breakout moment came last month when the national football team celebrated a World Cup qualifier win by launching into the Biama shuffle mid-interview, instantly making it a symbol of national pride.

What started as a local shrug at lockdown boredom has become a jobs program: costume makers sell sequined vests, sound engineers remix the drum pattern into ring-tones, and gyms offer “Biama abs” classes. With Ivory Coast’s youth unemployment at 33 percent, the dance is giving thousands a way to earn without leaving their neighborhood—and proving that a few moves can move a whole country.