Under the title »Maa ka Maaya ka ca a yere kono - On Multiplicity, Difference, Becoming, and Heritage« the 13th edition of Bamako Encounters (French: Rencontres de Bamako) will open in Bamako, Mali on October 20, 2022. The central theme of the African Biennial of Photography will focus on issues of multiplicity, processuality, transition, becoming, cultural heritage and difference. Starting from the premise that contemporary discussions of uniqueness tend to congeal notions of identity, culture, and politics, the Bamako Encounters curatorial team aims for the event to be a powerful affirmation of what lies between and beyond the traditional boundaries of these categories. As a platform for discovery, exchange and visibility, Bamako Encounters is considered an indispensable meeting point for African photographers and those from the diaspora. Until December 20, 2022, exhibitions, encounters with professionals, workshops and public projections will take place in various locations within Bamako, addressing issues of contemporary photography and video. Around 75 artistic positions from the African art world will contribute to the diversity of this edition.
Founded in 1994, the Bamako Encounters - African Biennial of Photography is co-organized and co-produced by the Malian Ministry of Culture and the Institut Français. The Biennial represents the first and most important event dedicated exclusively to contemporary photography and new visual worlds in Africa. The aim of the exhibition is to promote the different tendencies of contemporary photography and video in Africa by creating an international exchange between artists, audiences, curators, commissioners, media and collectors.
