On November 30, Ambassador Dennis Hankins attended the opening ceremony of Bamako Encounters, an internationally renowned photography festival showcasing exhibitions of contemporary photographers from across Africa and the diaspora.
The biennial event creates an opportunity for dialogue between the continent and its diaspora dispersed throughout the world, including the United States. It promotes a shared pan-African culture among participating artists and audience members, forging personal and professional cross-cultural networks.
Malian cultural exports play an important role as a driver of economic development and prosperity, and the United States encourages Mali to play a leading role in international photography, music and artistic traditions.
The U.S. Embassy in Mali was proud to sponsor the event, which highlighted several American photographers, including:
