Published on May 01, 2023 at 7:00 a.m., modified on May 01, 2023 at 3:31 p.m.
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Report In this hotel Particular repetition imbued with the Africanist soul of the Dapper Foundation museum, the former Somali model Waris Dirie opened, at the end of January, a sports hall reserved for women.
On the ground floor of the Heimat by Waris Dirie club, the physical fitness and cardio room, decorated with a fresco by the Franco-Congolese artist Maty Biayenda. PAULINE CARANTON FOR M LE MAGAZINE DU MONDE
Who knew the museum of the Dapper Foundation, dedicated, before its closure, in 2017, to the arts of Africa, the Caribbean and the diasporas, could be surprised. Since the end of January, a top-of-the-range sports club now occupies the space, a private mansion on rue Paul-Valéry, in 16 th arrondissement of Paris. The facade has not changed much, except that the Heimat by Waris Dirie sign has replaced that of the museum and that large green plants adorn the window. Difficult to guess that behind the building on the street, still occupied by apartments, there is a gym.
Once through the large glazed entrance door, you enter a long passageway with a rounded ceiling and tadelakt walls (a coating widely used in Morocco) which leads you to the club. An entry into the subject with African accents which could very well be that of the old museum. The large Shadowy armchairs from the M Afrique collection by Moroso, in braided plastic, on which the eye rests at the reception level, also confuse the issue.
However, we are indeed in a sports hall and after a year and a half of work, there are almost no remains of the 1,800 square meters of the museum. In this lobby, which could also be that of a hotel, there is a small bar where club members can enjoy teas, infusions, coffees, shakes and chat with their coach or their exercise companions. Automobile only women train here, in a feminine empowerment atmosphere desired by the place’s sponsor, Waris Dirie:
“I have been fighting for women’s rights for twenty-five years. I thought it would be a great idea to dedicate this beautiful place in the heart of Paris to them.”
The passage leading to the reception. PAULINE CARANTON FOR M LE MAGAZINE DU MONDE At basement, the planned relaxation room could encourage meetings and where the members of the club can settle down and work. PAULINE CARANTON FOR M LE MAGAZINE DU MONDE
It is therefore this extraordinary woman that the German entrepreneur Rainer Schaller, who died accidentally in 2022, had chosen to develop with him his second Heimat room, after that of Los Angeles . Being reserved for a female clientele is not the only singularity of the Parisian address (the Los Angeles club is mixed), Rainer Schaller and Waris Dirie wanted to preserve the soul of the Dapper Museum.
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At basement, the planned relaxation room could encourage meetings and where the members of the club can settle down and work. 
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