9th Bamako Encounters - African Photography Biennial
"For a sustainable world"

November 1st 2011 – January 1st 2012
Artistic Directors: Michket Krifa & Laura Serani

In Bamako (Mali), from November 1st 2011 to January 1st 2012, the Bamako Encounters - African Photography Biennial - will bring together over a hundred photographers and video artists, whose work will be exhibited for two months at various venues in the Mali capital. This year, the Encounters are exploring the theme "For a sustainable world", both through current ethnological concerns, formerly limited to a small group of vigilant visionaries, and through problems relating to societies, the way they work and their histories, all influenced by globalisation and the speed of exchanges. This 9th edition is overseen by Samuel Sidibé, Executive Officer of the Bamako Encounters, while Michket Krifa and Laura Serani are the artistic directors for the second time running.

In 2009, there were 24,000 visitors to the Bamako Encounters. 83 artists from 55 countries in the African continent exhibited their work and were invited to take part in the opening week, for which over 300 professionals from the world of contemporary art travelled to Bamako. The Biennial exhibitions then toured around 20 countries in three continents. Last but not least, in terms of economic effects, a total of €87,300 was paid to all the artists in copyright fees for their participation in the Bamako Encounters and the international circulation of their works. In 2011, for its 9th edition, the Bamako Encounters will continue the awareness-raising work already begun with Mali and African audiences, with the invitation of African journalists, awareness–raising actions undertaken with schools and universities, and the presence of photography, video and cinema in the public space. For the first time, the recently renovated Bamako National Park will be hosting exhibitions and open-air showings. The Biennial will be deployed in all the city's main venues, including the National Museum, the Modibo Keïta Memorial, the District Museum, the INA Gallery and the Institut français of Bamako. In addition, there will be workshops, debates, interactive projects and showings, all providing moments of exchange and discovery for the people of Bamako, African photographers and professional photographers from all over the world.

The Bamako Encounters, African Photography Biennial, are produced by the Mali Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Institut français, with support from the European Union. They are organised in partnership with the National Museum of Mali, the Bamako District Museum, the Modibo Keïta Memorial, the Prince Claus Foundation, the French Embassy in Mali, and the Dupon and Picto laboratories.