Since its launch in 1994 the Encounters of Bamako Biennial
has become the big event on the African photography
scene and a contemporary art must. Organised by the
Malian Ministry of Culture in association with the Institut
Français and with the backing of the European Union,
the Biennial has already brought recognition to a host
of photographers including Seydou Keita, Malick Sidibé,
Samuel Fosso and Santu Mofokeng.
Under artistic directors Michket Krifa and Laura Serani
this 9th edition, titled "For a Sustainable World",
is testimony to the vitality and creativity of current African
output. In different modes - documentary, journalistic,
metaphorical, fictional - the continent's artists take stock
of the present, spotlight its dangers and identify lines
of resistance for a more livable world.
In addition to the kaleidoscopic view provided by the
Pan-African Exhibition, the Encounters of Bamako 2011
includes monographic and thematic exhibitions
- David Goldblatt, Nii Obodai, George Osodi, Nyaba Léon
Ouedraogo, Philippe Bordas... - together with tributes
to the Tunisian and Egyptian artists of the Arab Spring,
Goddy Leye, the Sindika Dokolo Collection and all those
photographers, curators and institutions committed
to promoting Africa's photographic heritage.
