African photographers compete in Spain for Photoafrica awards

The topic for this year's Photoafrica is "Urban Space" of African cities seen through the photographers eyes. The exhibiton of altogether 27 large format photographs will be inaugurated and installed outdoors in Tarifa before and throughout the festival and after its closure will be travelling the whole year through Spanish and African cities. The Photoafrica is co-organised by the Andalusian Centre Of Photography.

Photographers from all over Africa

"This year we registered record number of 75 photographers from all over Africa, who sent more than 400 photographs to the competition and from which we chose 27 final photographs to be inaugurated in Tarifa and on the following tour," says Gaetano Gualdo, Photoafrica coordinator. "The jury will select three absolute winners, which will get three awards endowed with €1 500, €1 000 and €500 respectively."

While topics of previous editions were "Borders" in 2009 and "Independence" in 2010, this year topic is "Urban Space".

"We decided for this topic, because more and more Africans resettle from villages to cities and this predicts a lot of radical changes of the continent in the future. We want to capture this process," added Gualdo.

The Photoafrica participants represent newcomers as well as experienced photographers; in some cases participants or even winners (Mimi Cherone or Adolphus Opara) from previous editions. The winning photograph from last year "Portrait of the artist as a young woman" of Mimi Cherone was selected as the official visual of this year African Film Festival of Tarifa.

The most entries (23) came from South Africa and 16 of them made it into the finale.

Photographers competing in Photoafrica:

• Abdelmohcine Nakari, Morroco
  
• Aboubacar Traore, Mali
  
• Adolphus Opara, Nigeria
  
• Djibril Drame, Senegal
  
• Georges Senga, RDC
  
• James Muriuki, Kenya
  
• Hlompho Letsielo, Lesotho
  
• Resta Nyamwanza, Zimbabwe
  
• Mário Macilau, Mozambique
  
• Marwen Trabelsi, Tunis
  
• Mimi Cherono Ng'ok, Kenya
  
• Noncedo Charmaine Mathibela, South Africa
  
• Roanne Sutcliffe, South Africa
  
• Anthony Purnell, South Africa
  
• Bianca Kerstein Vinay, South Africa
  
• Cendyl Charlton, South Africa
  
• Chandre Busschau, South Africa
  
• Costas Christodoulou, South Africa
  
• David Kutlwano Moagi, South Africa
  
• Davina Gokool, South Africa
  
• Hayden Brawn, South Africa
  
• Ihsaan Haffejee, South Africa
  
• Jessica MacLeod, South Africa
  
• Kristi Bailey, South Africa
  
• Mack Magagane, South Africa

There have been 215 photographs from 120 photographers exhibited within Photoafrica since it has started in 2008.