The Potocki Palace, 20 Rynek Główny, Kraków
Thursday, 04.07, 6.00 PM
We will discuss how photography in the second half of the 20th century shaped our thinking about the African continent. We will showcase a selection of photos by Polish and international photographers from various places and years.
In the 1960s, there was an attempt to believe in the African continent, at least within the framework of the Cold War struggle for new geopolitical alliances. When Ryszard Kapuściński wrote “Black Stars” and other reports on changes in the African continent, there was an exchange of specialists, diplomats, and architects between Poland and Ghana or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 1960, known as the Year of Africa, the media reports echoed Afro-optimism—a result of propaganda and a belief that the region, freeing itself from colonialism, would embark on a new path of socio-economic development. This mood began to fade in the early 1970s when the famine crisis in northern Ethiopia led to the fall of the empire and the overthrow of Haile Selassie. Images of disaster and death replaced political optimism, solidifying in the 1980s and 1990s the perception of the African continent as a place without hope for change.
Oliwia Bosomtwe – writes, converses, and tells stories. She is the author of the book “Like a White Man: A Story about Poles and Others” (W.A.B, 2024). For three years, she was the editor-in-chief of Noizz.pl. She has published in various outlets including Znak, Vogue, and Res Publica Nowa. She was born in Kraków, grew up in Nowy Sącz, and chose Warsaw as her home.
Filip Skrońc – reporter, photographer, and video creator. He graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Warsaw with a specialization in press photography and international relations at Collegium Civitas. He is a co-founder of RATS Agency. His work has been published in “Gazeta Wyborcza,” “Przekrój,” “Kontynenty,” and “MaleMAN” magazine. He is a laureate of the Maciek Szumowski Reportage Competition and a finalist for the Teresa Torańska “Newsweek” Award and the Ryszard Kapuściński Scholarship Competition for Young Journalists. He received an award in the BZ WBK Press Photo competition for his work in Tanzania. He is a scholarship recipient from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in the category of visual arts. His book “Don’t Hurt Him” was nominated for the Grand Press Award for Reportage Book of the Year and the Beata Pawlak Award.