image credit: Rana El Nemr (Egypt) Olympic Garden 17, 2008 (40×50 cm). Panafrican exhibition – Bamako 2009
© Rana El Nemr (CC: attribution-noncommercial-no derivatives license)
The 8th African Photography Biennial in Bamako, Mali, starts on 7th November to 7th December 2009. I am particularly drawn to it as it uses one of my growing passions, photography, to explore a theme that is close to my heart: Borders.
“Perceived as territories of demarcation, enclosure or transit, they can just as well be places for transformation and exchange, territories – whether real or imaginary – of opening, opportunity or expansion.”
Borders inarguably implies immigration/immigrants and this is the basis of Gambian-born Fatou Cham’s story, Black Beauty or Illegal Immigrant, which will be the foundation for a discussion at Bamako Encounters.
This year, the African Photography Biennial explores the theme of “Borders”, artificial or natural, and will comprise of a panafrican exhibition of recent photography and video work by established artists, from Kader Attia, Majida Khattari, Zineb Sedira and Barthelemy Toguo, to emerging talents like Mohamed Bourrouissa, Mohamed Camara, Andrew Esiebo and Baudouin Mouanda.
The international exhibition, presented at the Musee National du Mali and featuring more than 50 artists will be completed by 5 solo shows by Angèle Etoundi Essamba (Cameroon), Hassan Hajjaj (Morocco), Patrizia Guerresi Maïmouna (Italy), Baudouin Mouanda (Congo) and Fazal Sheikh (USA).
Theme exhibitions will include, among others, the participation of Michael Stevenson Gallery with Nandipha Mntambo and Pieter Hugo and the showcase of “Luxury” by British artist Martin Parr, as part of a partnership between the Bamako Encounters and the Rencontres d’Arles, the famous French photography festival.[...]
In total, more than 100 artists, 15 venues and a host of debates, workshops, portfolio reviews, photo studios and live events that promise, once more, to make the Malian capital the highlight of African photography.
[Source: Creative Africa Network]
Update: Just came across this wonderful blog, Invisible Borders Lagos-Bamako Road Trip Project 2009 (hat tip @emeka_okafor of Timbuktu Chronicles) that chronicles the journey made by 10 Nigerian photographers and writers.
This project arose as a result of an urgent need to address the notion of dividing borders between countries in the African continent … [T]his project is an attempt to acquire a much realistic sense of the similarities and difference between peoples suggested by cultural and geographical lines.
The project has been termed “Invisible Borders”: a reference to the non-geographical demarcation, but rather that which could be easily missed especially if looking at the lines in the map, or flying over by air.
The most essential aspect of the project is not the final destination, but the journey; therefore the participating photographers will produce works in form of photography and video while on the go which will be exhibited during the main events of the Festival in Bamako.
Participants include:
Uche James Iroha, Lucy Azubuike, Emeka Okereke, Amaize Ojiekere, Uche Okpa Iroha, Ray Daniels Okeugo, Unoma Geise, Chris Nwobu, Nike Ojeikere, Charles Okereke.
Borders Involved:
Nigeria/Benin (Seme), Benin/Togo (Grand Popo), Togo/Ghana (Aflao), Ghana /Burkina fasso (Paga), Burkina Fasso/ Mali.
