The Rencontres de Bamako celebrates its 30th anniversary with its 14th edition, which opened on Saturday November 16 for two months, until January 16. During the Photography Biennale organized in the Malian capital, a major photography event on the continent, 30 artists from across the continent present their works. This year, the theme of “ speech » was retained. A symbolic and strong choice when freedom of expression is more threatened than ever in Mali and in the sub-region.
2 mins
The 30 artists from across the continent presenting their works come from Mali – with photographers like Moussa John Kalapo and Mariam Modeste Niaré -, but also from Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Niger or still from South Africa.
“ After observing that African voices do not have the desired echo, we said to ourselves that it would be good if artists, particularly photographers, could invest in the field of discourse », explains Lassana Igo Diarra, general curator and artistic director of these Bamako meetings. “ At one time, politicians’ speeches carried more weight. I’m talking about great orators like Sékou Touré, Kwame Nkrumah, and so on. But these days, are politicians listened to? », asks Lassana Igo Diarra.
Among the various exhibitions planned, a tribute must be paid on the occasion of the centenary ofAmilcar Cabral. Born in 1924, died in 1973, the father of the independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde is considered one of the founders of Pan-Africanism. “ There are very engaged sections of the exhibitionunderlines its commissioner general, it’s a reflection on speech, in fact. The power side, but also the poetic side of speech. »
The chosen theme is therefore very symbolic, in a country which seeks to highlight its sovereignty and its national story. But it is also double-edged, in a context where free speech, free expression, are more threatened than ever: in Mali and in the neighboring countries of the Alliance of Sahel States.
Without getting into political controversies, Igo Diarra believes that this is precisely what makes this choice relevant: “ Is it a crash or is it subtlety. It depends on the temperament of each artist or each cultural operator. But I think that subtle speech also has weight, as much as committed speech. Freedom of expression requires freedom of artistic expression “.