Our Story: A Vision To Revolutionize The African Sculpting Industry And To Elevate It To The Global Stage.
A Cross-Cultural Journey Begins
Our founder, a marriage counselor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, artist and husband. Hassane Diallo grew up between the sunbaked streets of Bamako, Niamey, Dakar and the gleaming malls of Jeddah, where his African heritage and Saudi upbringing gave him a unique perspective. Fluent in six languages by age 18, he saw how African art was misunderstood—relegated to "tribal curios" in one market and overpriced "exotic decor" in another.
The Spark: A Global Gap in Perception
While working in KSA’s luxury design scene, Hassane noticed a disconnect. High-end buyers admired African sculpture’s bold forms but hesitated to display it in modern spaces. Meanwhile, the artisans behind these works remained anonymous, their craft undervalued.
The Vision Takes Shape
In 2023, Hassane founded The African Hand with a clear mission: to position African sculpture as a leading force in global art and interior design. His strategy?1. Bridging Art & Function
Curating sculptural works that balance cultural authenticity with contemporary aestheticsPartnering with interior designers to showcase how traditional pieces elevate modern spaces2. The New African Workshop
Transforming rural carving camps into design-forward studios with:Solar-powered toolsInternational safety standardsDigital literacy training (so artisans can evolve and grow with cuting edge technology)3. Radical Transparency
Each piece includes:Precise geographic originArtisan biographyMaterial specifications
The African Hand is redefining the global art market as one of the world's premier destinations for authentic African sculptures and contemporary tribal decor. Our founder along with his dedicated team have curated one of the most respected collections of African artistic heritage. From advising luxury hotels on cultural installations to supplying private collectors and interior designers, we're slowly but surely establishing the gold standard for ethically sourced, museum-quality African art. Today, we're proud to be the bridge between Africa's ancient sculpting traditions and the world's most discerning art spaces.However, our journey is still merely at the beginning and we still have a long way to go so join us on our road to the top of the world.Most of the time “About Us” pages focus on how awesome they are and list all of their professional accomplishments.
Don’t get us wrong-we like success stories.
But even more than a success story, we’d like to share the story of our founder who’s a multiverse by himself.
So here’s his story – we hope this’ll give you an idea of who he really is.
1990 To 2000: Hassane Diallo’s Birth To Childhood Between Worlds
Hassane Diallo: The Miracle Child Who Bridged Continents
A Night of Struggle and Survival
On a cold Wednesday night in December 1990, under the flickering lights of Niamey’s maternity ward, Hassane Diallo entered the world as the 24th—and final—baby born that day. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and the murmurs of exhausted midwives. His mother, a strong-willed woman from Niger’s Fulani tribe, had already delivered three healthy children. But this birth was different. Minutes after his first cry, Hassane’s tiny chest stopped moving. “Respiratory complications.”
The doctors rushed him away, whispering words like "asphyxia" and "neonatal distress." For three agonizing hours, his father, a Malian diplomat stationed in Niger—paced the halls, praying to Allah under his breath. Then, miraculously, the doctor emerged with news: "He’s breathing on his own."
That night, the midwives nicknamed him "L’Enfant de Dieu"—The Child of God
From Niamey to Riyadh: A Toddler’s Journey
Two years later, Hassane’s life took another dramatic turn. His father received a prestigious posting to Saudi Arabia, and the family packed their lives into suitcases. For little Hassane, the transition was surreal:
One day, he was playing in the red dust of Niger, chasing his siblings through the mango trees.
The next, he was blinking up at Riyadh’s towering skyscrapers, his tiny hand gripping his mother’s hijab as the desert wind whipped around them.
The heat was different here—dry, relentless, unlike Niamey’s humid embrace. The sounds, too: the call to prayer echoing across marble courtyards, the hum of luxury cars gliding past their diplomatic compound.
At 8, Hassane Diallo navigated the corridors of Jeddah's Lycée Français with the quiet confidence of someone who belonged everywhere and nowhere. The son of a Malian diplomat, he carried Bamako/Niamey in his heartbeat, Paris/Jeddah in his textbooks and friendships—a living mosaic of cultures like a walking paradox - too African to be Arab, too Arab to be French, too French to be fully Malian, yet somehow embodying all these identities with effortless grace. He existed in that rare space between worlds where cultures didn't just intersect, but fused into something entirely new under the relentless Arabian sun. The journey to school was itself a microcosm of his fractured identity, while his headphones alternated between French rap legend Booba and Saudi pop sensation Majid Al Mohandis. The chauffeur, a man who had become something of a surrogate uncle, would quiz him on Arabic vocabulary during these rides - "Not that textbook Arabic," he'd chuckle, "the real Arabic people actually speak."
