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| Art in a time of terror: Mali's photo festival makes defiant return | Art in a time of terror: Mali's photo festival makes defiant return |
| (2 days later) | |
| Forced into a four year hiatus in the wake of political violence, Mali’s prestigious Biennial of African Photography staged a triumphant return to the capital Bamako in 2015. | Forced into a four year hiatus in the wake of political violence, Mali’s prestigious Biennial of African Photography staged a triumphant return to the capital Bamako in 2015. |
| The previous edition of Recontres de Bamako, due to take place in 2013, had been cancelled after armed conflict escalated between Tuareg nationalist rebels and government forces in the north of the country, followed by attacks from Islamist groups. | The previous edition of Recontres de Bamako, due to take place in 2013, had been cancelled after armed conflict escalated between Tuareg nationalist rebels and government forces in the north of the country, followed by attacks from Islamist groups. |
| Despite the tense political climate that surrounded its return, the three-month photography biennial opened in October with an impressive roster of participating artists and photographers from Africa and the diaspora, alongside emerging names selected from 800 submissions. | |
| In its 20-year history, the biennale has exhibited works by renowned names such as William Kentridge, The Otolith Group, Samuel Fosso, Pieter Hugo and Zanele Muholi. | |
| Related: After Mali and Paris, when will this latest wave of terror attacks end? | Related: After Mali and Paris, when will this latest wave of terror attacks end? |
| The return of the photo festival was seen by many as a sign of the country’s renewed stability, but despite two years of relative calm since a French military intervention launched in collaboration with the Malian government, the festival was marred again – this time by the worst terror attack the capital has witnessed in recent years. | The return of the photo festival was seen by many as a sign of the country’s renewed stability, but despite two years of relative calm since a French military intervention launched in collaboration with the Malian government, the festival was marred again – this time by the worst terror attack the capital has witnessed in recent years. |
| Just three weeks after the festival’s opening gala, Islamist gunmen stormed Bamako’s central Radisson Blu Hotel, killing more than 20 people in a mass shooting. | Just three weeks after the festival’s opening gala, Islamist gunmen stormed Bamako’s central Radisson Blu Hotel, killing more than 20 people in a mass shooting. |
| It wasn’t the only tragic event to overshadow the festival’s programme. Bisi Silva, the biennial’s artistic director, had been due to speak at an event discussing Recontres de Bamako at Musee Jeu De Paume in Paris on 14 November – the day after the shootings there that took the lives of 130 people. | It wasn’t the only tragic event to overshadow the festival’s programme. Bisi Silva, the biennial’s artistic director, had been due to speak at an event discussing Recontres de Bamako at Musee Jeu De Paume in Paris on 14 November – the day after the shootings there that took the lives of 130 people. |
| Silva says it was a sharp reminder of the fragility of the current political climate, where the threat of terror is widespread. “We live in precarious times and nobody has the luxury of thinking they are safe,” Silva said. “[But] there seems to be a collective consensus that life must go on.” | Silva says it was a sharp reminder of the fragility of the current political climate, where the threat of terror is widespread. “We live in precarious times and nobody has the luxury of thinking they are safe,” Silva said. “[But] there seems to be a collective consensus that life must go on.” |
| There seems to be a collective consensus that life must go on | There seems to be a collective consensus that life must go on |
| Though Silva says that visitor numbers were not affected by the Radisson terror attack, such violence inevitably impacts on cultural life. | Though Silva says that visitor numbers were not affected by the Radisson terror attack, such violence inevitably impacts on cultural life. |
| In March, gunmen stormed a popular nightclub killing five people. | In March, gunmen stormed a popular nightclub killing five people. |
| In November, Fima, one of Africa’s biggest fashion shows was cancelled by its Nigerien hosts amid security fears. A leading designer, Alphadi, due to take part in the event said: “The Niger government has decided to postpone this 10th edition due to events in Diffa [southeast Niger], Mali, Chad, Cameroon, France.” | In November, Fima, one of Africa’s biggest fashion shows was cancelled by its Nigerien hosts amid security fears. A leading designer, Alphadi, due to take part in the event said: “The Niger government has decided to postpone this 10th edition due to events in Diffa [southeast Niger], Mali, Chad, Cameroon, France.” |
| Staying local | Staying local |
| Silva said that her priority with this edition was to engage locals – addressing head-on past criticisms that the festival had not prioritised local communities, pandering instead to foreign visitors. “We have to situate it within the context. For me an important direction was making this international event more local,” she says. | Silva said that her priority with this edition was to engage locals – addressing head-on past criticisms that the festival had not prioritised local communities, pandering instead to foreign visitors. “We have to situate it within the context. For me an important direction was making this international event more local,” she says. |
| The result was the Focus Mali project, which included an exhibition of new Malian photography; a collaboration with more than 15 photo studios across Bamako; and an ambitious educational programme working with pupils from 100 schools. | The result was the Focus Mali project, which included an exhibition of new Malian photography; a collaboration with more than 15 photo studios across Bamako; and an ambitious educational programme working with pupils from 100 schools. |
| The main pavilion at the National Museum of Mali consisted of an international exhibition featuring artists from 21 African countries and was free to the public. | The main pavilion at the National Museum of Mali consisted of an international exhibition featuring artists from 21 African countries and was free to the public. |
| Poignantly, given the current political climate, the central premise for this edition of Bamako Encounters was “Telling Time”, and Silva explained that it gave the artists a chance to engage with a broad theme, rather than focusing on particular events. | Poignantly, given the current political climate, the central premise for this edition of Bamako Encounters was “Telling Time”, and Silva explained that it gave the artists a chance to engage with a broad theme, rather than focusing on particular events. |
| “The results were less historical and more personal and collective stories dealing with history, memory, the archive, the postcolonial experience and urban transformation, among other things,” she explained. | “The results were less historical and more personal and collective stories dealing with history, memory, the archive, the postcolonial experience and urban transformation, among other things,” she explained. |
| Related: Bamako attack shows Mali fight goes on, two years after French intervention | Related: Bamako attack shows Mali fight goes on, two years after French intervention |
| As the festival comes to an end, what’s clear is that with the big political and economic shifts in Mali since the festival’s first edition 20 years ago, Bamako Encounters now gives voice to a new generation of photographers emerging in Africa with their own language, autonomous aims, themes and styles. | As the festival comes to an end, what’s clear is that with the big political and economic shifts in Mali since the festival’s first edition 20 years ago, Bamako Encounters now gives voice to a new generation of photographers emerging in Africa with their own language, autonomous aims, themes and styles. |
| In troubled times, it sends a positive message on the future of culture as a collective expression of resistance. | In troubled times, it sends a positive message on the future of culture as a collective expression of resistance. |
| The 10th edition of Bamako Encounters ran from 31 October - 31 December 2015 | The 10th edition of Bamako Encounters ran from 31 October - 31 December 2015 |
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