Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie, also known as Bamako Encounters, was established in Mali in 1994, the first international festival dedicated to photography on the African continent. In part the legacy of the legendary Seydou Keïta, who exploded interest abroad, not only in Mali’s photography scene but in the nation’s post-independence energy with his pictures of local life, the Rencontres was founded by Mali’s Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Institut Francais, with the aim of promoting African photographers. Taking place across several venues in the city (the highlight of which is perhaps the Pan-African exhibition at the Museum of Mali, featuring forty artists), the direction of this year’s video and photographic works, under the title of Afrotopia, is revitalizing different strands of African heritage and culture, as a way to redefine subjects in the present, such as African bodies, sexuality, politics and, of course, to project possible futures of nations. You can read more about Bamako in the new issue of Elephant, out tomorrow.
