-
‘Nobody is born a slave: The struggle for freedom in contemporary Mali’
Key information
- Date
- to
- Venue
- SOAS University of London
- Room
- Wolfson Gallery, SOAS Library
- Event type
- Exhibition
About this event
This October, the Wolfson Gallery is hosting a photo exhibition by Fatoma Coulibaly, aka BakooCly. The exhibition is curated by Dr Marie Rodet and tells a story of African resilience in the face of slavery and forced displacement.
In January 2019, within 3 weeks 1,231 persons escaped slavery-related extreme violence in western Mali and took refuge in the village of Mambiri. The population of the village nearly doubled with their arrival, and the locals displayed great solidarity through land loans and donations. Nonetheless, although they escaped slavery, these families remain exposed to land insecurity and face challenges to rebuild a sustainable future.
Each image tells a story: the story of hope in the face of adversity, the story of a memory that refuses to be extinguished. - Fatoma Coulibaly
Through 11 pictures taken by the photographer Fatoma Coulibaly (aka BakooCly) in Mambiri in 2022, the exhibition traces and contextualises the experiences and new life of some of these forcibly displaced families.
This exhibition is the concluding event of the UKRI-funded research-action project ‘Slavery and Forced Migration in Western Mali’ (2020-2024). It is free to visit for all staff, students and visitors to the SOAS Library.
About the artist
Fatoma Coulibaly, also known as Bakoo, resides and works in Bamako, After high school, fate led him towards photography through his older sister, who recommended him as an assistant to a photographer named "Photo Zou". In 2016, he joined "Yamarou Photo," a hub for fine art photography, where he has participated in various masterclasses and workshops. Two years later, he took part in a photography workshop with French photographer Philipp Guionie, leading to a collective exhibition at the French Institute in Bamako. In 2019 and 2021, he was selected for the INTER-BIENNAL PHOT-ART, and won the "DANAYA" award 2021 for his series "Soldat de la survie." His work was selected for the 5th edition of the Rabat photography meeting in Morocco in 2022 and for the second edition of Abidjan AFRICA FOTO FAIR in 2023.
