Africa+Photography=Afriphoto |

By now in this blog series, it has been established that the field of international relations focuses on formal international interactions and intercultural learning places less of an emphasis on these formal exchanges. Here is one poignant example of the focus of intercultural learning on day-day activities and artifacts to better understand a given culture. Afriphoto is a photography project that was inspired by the desire to provide a space and network for photographers of African origin to display their artwork.

Since 2001, it has showcased photographers from many different African states including ones with AFS Partner offices such as?Mozambique, Tunisia, Egypt and Ghana. Afriphoto promotes contemporary African photography and seeks to portray the many cultural perspectives of this extremely diverse continent.

Photography is a powerful tool to view cultural artifacts. Cultural artifacts serve as symbols of a culture?s values, identity and perspectives. For example, the photo below is by Zara Samiry, a?Moroccan?photographer. What does this photo tell us about Morrocon cultural norms?

And below is a photo by Baudoin Bikoko, a Congolese photographer. What insights into Congolese culture, if any, can we draw upon after viewing this image?

In many cases, a photography project can simply be a particular expression or theme of the artists and cannot be viewed solely as a cultural artifact. Despite the large variety of subject matter by the artists? featured in Afriphoto, one can quickly obtain a strong sampling of contemporary African photography. Art is an important part of countless cultures as it provides entertainment,?reflection and promotes conversation. The photo below was created by?Fran?ois-R?gis Durand from?Madagascar and is an example of?contemporary art from Madagascar:

Providing greater exposure to different cultures can mean learning through the art of the culture. Experiencing a different culture by understanding its artwork in context of the larger culture is a valuable way any AFSer can engage in intercultural learning.

Click here to visit Afriphoto

Paul Edinger is a strategic operations intern for the Intercultural Learning department at AFS International, where he works to facilitate the implementation of ICL strategy throughout the AFS Network. His time at AFS began in April of 2011 with the Development and Branding department and he continues?in 2012?as an intern for ICL. Prior to joining AFS he taught English, Spanish and computer literacy courses to Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants to the United States while obtaining his B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America. He completed minors in Anthropology, Political Science, Latino Studies, and Spanish Language Studies.

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