Born on March 2, 1967, in Saint Louis, the first capital of French West Africa (AOF), more precisely in Ndioloféné in the Sor district located in northern Senegal. Coming from a family of eleven (11) children, Meïssa TOUNKARA was brought up from an early age to combine Koranic education with academic education (French), as required by Saint Louis traditions. Fiery, rebellious, and dissident in his youth, he took refuge in reading, which allowed him to escape and better understand certain aspects of life. His passion for reading seems to have come from his mother, a state nurse at the time, who brought him books, and through the books he read, he discovered some works of art that ended up fascinating him.

After visiting the largest galleries in Senegal and participating in several cultural events (Gorée, Dakar-plateau, Saint-Louis, Louga, and Thiès), he decided in 2007 to create his own gallery called “DOUGOUB GALERIE ART TOUBA CHOUSKORY” to promote the art of sand painting as an educational tool in schools, centers, homes, etc.