African Biennale of Pictures in Mali defends tradition regardless of difficulties
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Regardless of a safety disaster within the West Africa and Sahel areas, Covid-19, and diplomatic tensions with France, organisers of the African Biennale of Pictures have managed to placed on the Pan-African exhibition in Bamako, Mali within the spirit of resilience and resistance.
“Regardless of the troublesome context, marked by a number of crises in Mali and everywhere in the world, the Transitional Authorities needs to take care of this main cultural occasion,” stated Mali’s Tradition Minister Andogoly Guindo.
Titled partially in Bambara, the African Biennale of Pictures has an formidable slogan: “Maa ka Maaya ka ca a yere kono—On Multiplicity, Distinction, Changing into, and Heritage”, the competition organisers invited artists from round Africa to contribute their interpretation of assorted phases of transition.
Some 75 artists from the African continent and diaspora have been invited to contribute to the 13th version.
This theme coincides with the Bamako Encounters African Biennale of Pictures spirit of resilience and resistance.
“We can’t ignore the difficulties through which we’re, even in wanting to carry this Biennale, as a result of it will be important for us, for Africa,” stated Cheikh Diallo, normal delegate of the African Biennale of Pictures.
“This Biennale must also create a hyperlink, a social hyperlink, an financial hyperlink and a political hyperlink,” he added.
Diplomatic relations between Paris and Bamako are tense — RFI broadcasts and French NGOs have been banned by Mali’s transitional authorities.
Nevertheless, the very important partnership between the Biennale de la picture and the French Institute, a cultural centre has been maintained.
“We stay in contract with France,” stated Cheikh Diallo.
“We’re supported and we thank this loyalty within the conduct of this partnership. We’re preventing for tradition and I imagine that’s the greatest coverage,” he added.
The exhibition additionally references Aimé Césaire’s seminal poem “Unmaking and Remaking the Solar”.
Along with the African and diaspora artists invited to take part, the Biennale is holding a retrospective of works by Daoud Aoulad Syad (Morocco), Maria Magdalena Campos Pons (Cuba/ USA), Samuel Fosso (Cameroon), Pleasure Gregory (Jamaica/ UK), and Jo Ractliffe (South Africa).
The official exhibition is hosted at varied public buildings across the capital, together with the Nationwide Museum of Mali, African Home of Pictures, Bamako Railway Station, and French Institute of Mali.
