In novembre 25th 2019 I arrived to Bamako to represent the Galerie Zeinart and the French Institut of Mauritania at the Bamako Encounters which is the principal event dedicated to contemporary photography and new imagery in Africa
The Biennale was celebrating its 25th anniversary and for the first time in its history organized by Malians, the Ministry of Culture of Mali. The Institut Français becoming a partner and not the main organizer.
Musée National du Mali, permanent collection - Textiles
Musée National du Mali, permanent collection - Bamanan puppets
As I arrived ahead of the opening I had the time to visit the places we're the different events would take place. The Museum was a beautiful discovery as it sits in a middle of a green Park, Bamako beeing heavily polluted and hot it was a wonderful place to chill out.
Musée National du Mali, permanent collection - traditional masks and sculpture
The Restaurant was also a nice finding and as the Biennale opened you could see and meet all the artistes, curators and visitors. And a beautiful view into the green area.
Restaurant African Grill Musée Nationale du Mali
Leisurely and as I had to get used to the heat, even if I live in a very hot country in the Sahara we have mild winters due to the proximity of the capital Nouakchott to the sea and temperatures at night time can go down to 11ºC not the case in Bamako where temperatures where over 40ºC everyday and going down at night to 27ºC not that easy when you want to move all day and see everything.
Marché Artisanale et M.Kader Sylla
And of course I visited the Marché Artisanale and met M.Sylla in the jewelers area. M.Sylla a psychotherapist lived most of his life in Paris and comes back for a three month holiday every year now he's retired. He took me around the market and as he knew everybody and due to his Parisian background we did it very quickly so that I could move on to the INA.
INA - Institut National des Arts de Bamako. Professeur Ben Galy, teaches drums, balafon and musical theory.
The INA is the National Institute of Arts situated just by the side of the Marché Artisanale.
When this school was opened in 1933 it was called Ècole d'Artisanat Soudanais (Sudanese School of handcrafts) after the Independence in 1963 under the presidency of Mobidou Keita, the School changed name and was made bigger to accommodate Visual Arts, Dramatic performing arts, Music and social-cultural activities.
Today it teaches around 600 hundred students from all over the country that got through the exam to get in. There are no tuition fees and students are given uniforms.
Saveurs du Patio, restaurant de l'Institut Français du Mali
One of the places I had to visit was the Institut Français du Mali. Here again a nice restaurant and new faces that would become familiar in the few next days. On the left in the sketch Cheikh Diallo, malian designer and scenographer for the Bamako Biennale with architect Cheikh Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso, on the other table Co- Curator Astrid Lepoultier.
The Institut Français was to hold an exhibition honouring South Africans photographers, David Goldblatt, Alexia Webster, Jabulani Dhlamini, Mauro Vombe and Pierre Crocquet.
As I walked in to the space of the gallery of the IFM, curator John Fleetwood and coordinator Amy Daniels where putting up the work of AlexiaWebster - Street Studios shot in different locations around the world where she sets up street studios and invites passers-by to a dialogue and a photo. A small curtain hide the entrance to the cinema and small children kept coming in and out.
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