All competitions · Biennale
Rencontres de Bamako 2026 – 15th African Biennale of Photography open call
Ministère de l'Artisanat, de la Culture, de l'Industrie Hôtelière et du Tourisme du Mali · Bamako, Mali
Open call for photographers, videographers, visual artists and performers from Africa and its diaspora for the 15th Rencontres de Bamako, themed 'Réfabulation(s)'. Deadline 15 October 2026; biennale 26 November 2026–26 January 2027.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- Africa
- Age
- No age limit
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Photography, Video & film, Performance, Digital art
- Theme
- Réfabulation(s), African narratives
- For
- Black artists
- Submission
- Online submission
- Also
- Photographers, videographers, visual artists and performers from Africa, the African diaspora and Afro-descendant communities.
About
The Rencontres de Bamako – Biennale Africaine de la Photographie is the leading platform for contemporary African photography, held in Mali since 1994. The 15th edition, organised by Mali's Ministry of Crafts, Culture, Hotel Industry and Tourism under general curator Armelle Dakouo and general delegate El Hadj Amadou Diop, takes the theme 'Réfabulation(s)' and asks artists to tell, question and transform narratives of the African continent.
The call is addressed to photographers, videographers, visual artists and performers working with images from Africa, the diaspora and Afro-descendant communities, with particular attention to transdisciplinary proposals. Applications are made through the portal on the official website; a parallel OFF call accepts proposals from cultural structures, venues and artists for exhibitions, concerts, performances and projections.
The application deadline is 15 October 2026. The biennale runs from 26 November 2026 to 26 January 2027 across venues including the Palais de la Culture Amadou Hampâté Bâ, the National Museum of Mali, the Conservatoire Balla Fasséké Kouyaté and the Maison Africaine de la Photographie.