Photography and Orality
Dialogues in Bamako, Dakar and Elsewhere

PHOTOGRAPHY IS UNIVERSAL

Q Do you consider that there is such a thing as "African photography"?
MG In my opinion, there’s no specifically African, European or American photography, there’s just photography. People’s viewpoints differ, their approach to photography differs. If we talk in terms of boundaries between African, European or American photography, what’s most important is the photographers themselves. When we look at a photograph, we don’t wonder, "What is the nationality of this photographer?" Instead, we ask, "Who took this photo?" When I travel abroad, I don’t think people see me primarily as a Senegalese photographer. And when I meet other photographers from Europe or America, the first thing we talk about is photography itself. Photography is universal. I don’t think it’s possible to set boundaries that define the universal language that is photography. Photography allows us to communicate more effectively than any other language. Photographers can communicate with illiterate people. When I talk about illiteracy, I mean that we are all illiterate in some contexts, because there’s always a language that we don’t understand. Although that doesn’t solve the problem of people who are unable to interpret images, those who are visually illiterate.

THE THREE STAGES OF CONSTRUCTING A VIEWPOINT

Q Do you discuss your photographs with people? Is it important to you to explain them? What happens, for example, when viewers have no knowledge of the context in which the photographs were taken?
MG When I’m planning an exhibition, I make an initial selection of photographs I want to present, then I show them to people who are not familiar with photography. These are the first people I show my photographs to, in the case of a photo reportage, for example. They look at my photos, and they say, "Oh, I like that one, and this one." These conversations give me a certain insight into the reactions of people who aren’t accustomed to interpreting certain aspects of photography. It’s only after this step that I discuss my selection with gallery professionals. I like to get both the professional and non-professional viewpoints. There are three key stages in my selection process. The first is the initial observation of the subject at the time of taking the photo, and here the choices are mine: these are the decisions photographers make when composing an image. The second stage is the selection of images, which is influenced by the opinions of professionals and non-professionals. The third and final stage is the reception of the photographs themselves. Here, it’s both amateurs and professionals who look at the photos I’ve selected – the general public in all its diversity who will judge the photos I present to them.

REPORTAGE OR EXHIBITION

Q In your view, what is the difference for a photographer between photojournalism and artistic work?
MG Photojournalists are specialized in press photography. It’s the subjects that you cover that decide whether or not you’re a photojournalist. When I’m not working in this field, my approach is different. I often start by writing a text. I choose a subject and create an artistic representation using photography. Let’s not forget that each photo must exist in its own right. At the same time, the presentation depends on the context and the particular series you’re working on. Planning an exhibition is a long process. In the world of the press, photographs have a certain autonomy in relation to the artist. They have a life of their own when they’re published in a newspaper. But in artistic work, it all revolves around how you approach the person or situation you’re photographing and, therefore, also depends on the preparatory work you put into it. In the context of a newspaper, it’s simply a photograph of an existing event that is published for reasons unrelated to the photographer. It’s very different for exhibitions. An artistic approach requires coming up with an exhibition title, writing a text and showing a coherent body of work.

SHARING AND COMPARING DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

MG In my opinion, it’s your experience that counts the most. In life, we’re constantly learning, and when we share our experiences with others we become more open-minded. It’s a similar idea to collaborative work: cross-cultural communication is important. When we photographers get together to discuss our work, it brings us closer to one another. It’s important to share our views, to reach out to other cultures and not to close ourselves off. A close-minded person who thinks he knows everything is making a big mistake. Every time we step outside our own frame of reference and look at things from a different perspective, we discover something new. And what is this new discovery? It’s part of the learning process. At the same time, we also learn our lessons in our own homes, at school, in the street. And the world of the street is eternal.

Interview conducted in Dakar, Goethe-Institut Senegal, 19.06.2014
by Bärbel Küster, Marion Jäger, Alicia Hernandez-Westpfahl, Marie-Louise Mayer