Thursday, November 5, 2009

Augenblick. Blog on Photography , Festival : Rencontre de Bamako


A good way to look deep into African Photography is certainly the Rencontre De Bamako (Biennal of African Photography) which will be opening this year on the 7th of November , the photo festival will display a good collection of photographers from the forgotten Continent. The festival will not only include exhibition but also screening, lectures and meetings in order to better understand African Photography and perhaps better promoting in the world. Among the many photography which will introduce their work Jodi Bieber (South Africa) , Kadar Attia (Algerie) , Yo-Yo Gonthier (La Réunion) and indeed an interesting retrospective on Malik Sebide' (Mali).
Here some words from their official presentation:
While the Bamako Encounters have achieved recognition over the years as an opportunity for African photographers and professionals from all over the world to exchange ideas and discover each other's work, one of the aims of this year's edition is also to turn the Encounters into an event and a celebration for the local population. The focus placed on photographs of "everyday life", the activities and exhibitions assembled in some of the major and popular locations within Bamako (National Museum, Palace of Culture, District Museum, INA Gallery, French Cultural Centre...) and the campaign organised ahead of the event to publicise the Encounters in schools and universities are an integral part of the desire to occupy the city's urban space and involve its inhabitants. At the same time the Biennial’s international network will continue to expand, especially with the new Arles Encounters/Bamako Encounters partnership and the presentation of the series Luxury by Martin Parr, the invitation from the Michael Stevenson
Gallery of Cape Town, which will feature a film look at two of its artists: Pieter Hugo and Nandipha Mntambo, as well as introducing international artists and projects. These programmes will enhance the national visibility of the Encounters while at the same time develop its key role internationally in spreading African photography.