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" They dare to talk about their interior. The Rencontres de Bamako are celebrating the 25th anniversary of this African Photography Biennial with a large place given to the feminine genre. Half of the 85 photographers invited from all over the continent and the diaspora are women. The biggest event in this field in Africa opens Saturday, November 30 in the capital of Mali.
Streams of Consciousness , Currents of Consciousness , is the title given to this twelfth edition which aims to renew this major meeting for African artists and the diaspora. Interview with Astrid Sokona Lepoultier, born of a French father and a Malian mother, based both in Paris and Bamako, and co-curator of the 2019 African Photography Biennial.
RFI : The motto of this twelfth edition of the Bamako Meetings is in a certain way " women's place ". What does this change for the concept of the Biennial ?
The place of women in photography, in the selection of the program of the Bamako Encounters, was thought of as a necessity, a duty and above all as an evidence. The theme of this edition, chosen by the artistic director Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, is The currents of consciousness . This refers to a sociological notion, developed by the American psychologist and philosopher William James. Applied to photography, it's about looking at how photographers aim, perceive, interpret and think about the world in which they live. Choosing this theme for the Biennial is a bit like presenting - not exhaustively - a state of mind of the contemporary African world.
To represent this state of mind, how can we ignore women? They also have the right to express their feelings, to talk about their experiences, their concerns, their daily lives and those of others.
What are the difficulties faced by women photographers ?
I am Franco-Malian, I grew up in Mali. And I do not feel that the Malian woman photographer had more difficulty or less facilities than a male photographer in Mali. The problems encountered by one are the same encountered by the other, that is to say the galleries and opportunities to exhibit are few. There is not necessarily a legal framework around the job. And collectors are rare. It's difficult for a photographer in Mali to survive. But, it's important to encourage the excitement of women's photography in Mali, for the simple reason that they are men or women photographers, they needed to resort to subterfuges to find solutions. So, they decided to do together, by founding collective. This year, for example, we present the Collective Association of Women Photographers of Mali (AFPM), founded in 2007 by Amsatou Diallo.
Beyond the women photographers, it is also places imbued with the feminine presence that mark this biennale, for example the Muso-Kanada Women's Museum or the Aminata-Ba girls' high school.
We paid a lot of attention to the choice of photos that we present in this school dedicated to young girls. It is important to create content that is educational and invites reflection. Part of the selection of the Bamako Meetings is related to themes around the representation of the black body, the representation of women, but also the question of the diaspora or history. And also to show what is achieved in Mali. For example, the exhibition Musow Ka Touma Sera , a special project designed by a Malian curator, Fatima Bocoum. She decided to present the work of Malian women photographers. It's interesting to show these high school girls the potential to create synergies by working collectively. And perhaps to create vocations in some high school girls.
Currents of Consciousness is the theme of the Biennial. An allusion to the photographer's inner voice. In relation to this inner voice, what struck you the most about the pictures presented ?
The selected projects are quite diverse, as much in terms of forms as in content: photographs, installations, video ... There are certain trends that appear and that may have been guided by the theme of this twelfth edition: there are some rather spiritual questions coming back. For example, the very personal and introspective approaches of some artists such as Godelive Kabena Kasangati (DRC) or Adeola Olagunju of Nigeria. They dare to speak of their interior, of their inner self. Malagasy Emmanuelle Andrianjafy and Nigerian Rahima Gambo present works that are born of physical wandering linking the wandering of the body in space and the catharsis of the spirit.
And there are also questions about traditional beliefs and religions coming back.
Yes, in connection with history and the world today. This is the case of Buhlebezwe Siwani of South Africa whose work addresses the impact of Christianity on the perception of the body of black women in South Africa. The body of the black woman is a subject that comes up all the time, especially the violence that is made to her, in a physical or moral way.
The Italian-Senegalese artist Adji Dieye takes the advertising codes of a bouillon cube very popular in Africa. She demonstrates how these advertising codes can perpetuate stereotypes about how the African woman is supposed to be and act.
You are born of a French father and a Malian mother, based in Paris and Bamako. Like you, gallery owners, but also artists from Africa who present their works at international fairs such as FIAC or AKAA often have one foot in Africa and another in Europe for the production and sale of works. For the first time, the Biennial has printed in Mali nearly every 1,500 photos exhibited at the Biennial. What does it mean ?
This edition marks a turning point for the Bamako Meetings on several levels: previously the event was co-organized by the Malian Ministry of Culture and the French Institute. This year, the organization returns exclusively to the Malian Ministry of Culture, and the French Institute becomes a partner. With this structural change, there are a lot of challenges that have been created and we have to find solutions. It goes through a production that is Malian. And it is absolutely necessary. How can we speak of Bamako as the African capital of photography and not produce the prints of the Biennale in Bamako? And today, we have professionals who do it very well. I think everyone will be very happy to see the result. We are very proud of what has been done this year in Mali.
Security was a big issue during the fiftieth anniversary of Fespaco, the pan-African film festival in Burkina Faso. Mali remains an area considered very sensitive. In Bamako, can festival-goers circulate safely between the various exhibition venues ?
I used to say that we are no less safe in Mali than in France or elsewhere. Simply because the danger exists everywhere. In terms of security, measures have been taken and then I think that we must continue to fight and not give in to this obscurantism. We must continue to bring beauty and culture, to live simply.
► 12th edition of the Bamako Meetings. African Biennale of Photography, from November 30, 2019 to January 31, 2020, in Bamako, Mali.