African Photography Encounters (french: Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie) is a biennial exhibition in Bamako, Mali, held since 1994. The exhibition, featuring exhibits by contemporary African photographers, is spread over several Bamako cultural centers, including the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

, the National Library, the Modibo Keïta memorial, and the District Museum. The exhibition also features colloquia and film showings. The most recent biennial took place in 2017. It is jointly run by the government of Mali and the Institut Français. It has exhibited work by William Kentridge,

Samuel Fosso Samuel Fosso (born July 17, 1962) is a Cameroonian-born Nigerian photographer who has worked for most of his career in the Central African Republic. His work includes using self-portraits adopting a series of personas, often commenting on the hist ...

Pieter Hugo Pieter Hugo (born 1976) is a South African photographer who primarily works in portraiture. He lives in Cape Town.Leah Ollman (9 February 2007)Photography that goes only skin deep''Los Angeles Times''. Hugo has had four monographs published. H ...

and Zanele Muholi.

2005 – 6th biennial

The 6th biennial took place in November and December 2005, with the theme of "Another World." The prizes awarded were: * The

Seydou Keïta Seydou Keïta (1921/23 – 21 November 2001) was a Malian photographer known for his portraits of people and families he took at his portrait photography studio in Mali's capital, Bamako, in the 1950s. His photographs are widely acknowledged not ...

prize was awarded to Rana El Nemr ( Egypt) for her work on women in the Cairo subway. * The Coup de coeur Accor prize was awarded to Mamadou Konaté (Mali) * The Prix AFAA-Afrique en Création was awarded to

Fatoumata Diabaté Fatoumata Diabaté (born 19 September 1980) is a Malian photographer from Bamako. Education In 2002, after spending nine months at the Centre de Formation Audiovisuel Promo-Femmes training center in Bamako, Diabaté continued her studies at t ...

* The European Union (Best Reporting Photographer) (Prix de l'Union Européenne) was awarded to

Zohra Bensemra Zohra Bensemra (born October 1968) is an Algerian photographer who works in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. She is currently based in Africa. Biography Zohra Bensemra was born in Algiers, Algeria, in October 1968. She grew up seeing her older b ...

( Algeria). * The Intergovernmental Agency of La Francophonie Award (Prix de l'Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie du Meilleur Jeune) (AIF) was awarded to Ulrich-Rodney Mahoungou (

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

) * The Elan de l'Agence Française de Développement prize was awarded to

Uche James-Iroha James Iroha Uchechukwu is a Nigerian photographer. He was born in 1972 in Enugu. He is known for his photography, his support to young photographers, and the passing on of his knowledge to the young. He is also regarded at the beginning of the 21 ...

( Nigeria) * The Special Jury Prize awarded to Mikhael Subotzky ( South Africa) The jury also honoured

Ranjith Kally Ranjit or Renjith may refer to: Religion * Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo * Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, C ...

(South Africa) for his life's work.

2009 – 8th biennial

The biennial included work by

Hassan Hajjaj Hassan Hajjaj (born 1961) is a Moroccan contemporary artist who lives and works between London, UK and Marrakesh, Morocco. Early life Hajjaj was born in Larache, Morocco in 1961. Career Hajjaj's first feature-length film, ''Karima: A Day in t ...

. The Seydou Keita Prize for Best Photographic Creation was awarded to Uche Okpa-Iroha.

2011 – 9th biennial

The biennial included work by

Philippe Bordas Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count o ...

and

Omar Victor Diop Omar Victor Diop (born 1980) is a Senegalese photographer whose conceptually-rich work is exhibited around the world.“Through the Lens.” ''Films Media Group'', 2018, fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=102633&xtid=187222. ''CNN''. Acces ...

. The Seydo Keita award was given to

2013

The biennial was cancelled because of security concerns.

2015 – 10th biennial

The 10th biennial took place from 31 October to 31 December 2015 and was themed Telling Time. It was directed by Bisi Silva with associate curators Antawan I. Byrd and Yves Chatap. The biennial included work by

Mimi Cherono Ng'ok Mimi Cherono Ng'ok (born 1983) is a Kenyan photographer, living in Nairobi. Her "photographs are a visual diary of the experiences and emotions emerging from her itinerant life". Ng'ok's work has been shown at the Hayward Gallery, Berlin Biennale, ...

, Moussa Kalapo (''La Métaphore du Temps'' (the metaphor of time)),

Lebohang Kganye Lebohang Kganye (born 1990) is a South African visual artist living and working in Johannesburg. Kganye is part of a new generation of contemporary South African artists and photographers born shortly before or after Apartheid ended. Biograp ...

Uche Okpa-Iroha Uche Okpa-Iroha (born in Enugu in 1972) is a Nigerian multidisciplinary artist who mainly adopts photography as his preferred medium of artistic expression. He is a founding member of the Blackbox Collective and Invisible Borders Trans-African ...

, Nyani Quarmyne (a documentary report on Malian refugees in Mauritania), and Nassim Rouchiche (portraits of sub-Saharan migrants stuck in Algeria).

2017 – 11th biennial

The 11th biennial took place from 2 December 2017 to 31 January 2018.

2019 - 12th biennial

The 12th biennial took place from 30 November 2019 to the 31st of January 2020. The Artistic director was

Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung (born in 1977 in Yaoundé, Cameroon) is a contemporary art curator and writer. He lives in Berlin. Early life and education Ndikung moved to Germany in 1997 to study at the Technical University of Berlin, Technical ...

with curatorial team including Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, Aziza Harmel and Astrid Sokona Lepoultier. The biennial included work by Christian Nyampeta, Rahima Gambo Abraham Oghobase,

Adeola Olagunju Adéọlá is both a Yoruba surname and a given name meaning "the crown or royalty of prestige and wealth". Notable people with the name include: Surname *Aderonke Adeola, Nigerian film director, art historian, fashion entrepreneur, script-writer a ...

, Eric Gyamfi, and

Bouchra Khalili Bouchra Khalili (born 1975 in Casablanca) is a Moroccan-French visual artist. Raised between Morocco and France, she studied Film at Sorbonne Nouvelle and Fine Arts at École nationale supérieure d'arts de Paris-Cergy. She lives in Berlin, Germany ...

The

prize was awarded to

Adéọlá Ọlágúnjú Adéọlá Ọlágúnjú is a Nigerians, Nigerian visual artist working with photography, video, sound and installations. Early life and education Adéọlá Ọlágúnjú grew up in Nigeria during the Military dictatorship in Nigeria, era of m ...

( Nigeria) for the best photographic creation at the 12th edition of Bamako Encounters

References

* This article began as a translation of the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia, accessed 26 December 2005.

Bibliography

* Bajorek, J. and E. Haney (2010), 'Eye on Bamako: Conversations on the African Photography Biennial',

Theory, Culture and Society ''Theory, Culture & Society'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1982 and covers sociology, cultural, and social theory. The journal aims to work "across the borderlines between sociology and cultural studies, the social ...

, 27 {{Authority control Bamako Malian culture Photography exhibitions Recurring events established in 1994 1994 in Mali Art festivals in Africa Photography in Mali