The South African Centre for Photography is hosting its third Cape Town Month of Photography (MoP). The event will open early February and runs until the end of March 2005.

The flagship event will be held at the Castle of Good Hope on Thursday 17th February 18:00 in which nineteen photographers will be represented.

The festival will be spread across the city in public and private galleries, museums, shopping malls, community centers, libraries and restaurants. The exhibitions will be curated around several themes including Ten Years of Democracy in South Africa.

South African photographers as well as those from SADC and International countries are participating. MoP 2005 once again brings together an exciting mix of our finest photographers alongside a broad range of emerging and talented young photographers who will all be showcased, subsequently there are over ninety photographic exhibitions that will occur within this time frame.Mop as an event encompasses a diverse social spectrum in a celebration of cultural hybridism resulting in a unique collective vision of our contemporary life. MoP creates a comprehensive network between a variety of photographic practices and communities from documentary, commercial, fine art, amateur associations and learner practitioners who are given a forum for expression.

The South African Centre of Photography aims to establish MoP as an ongoing biennial to compete within the global arena and position South Africa and specifically Cape Town as a world renowned cultural centre; thus promoting cultural tourism. As such it offers the opportunity for South African photographers to have global exposure. It also provides a platform for communication between local communities as the photographic image offers a unique space where the real and metaphor engage and incite investigation.

MoP therefore plays a pivotal role in promoting photography as a valuable cultural commodity and preserving photographic practices as a viable cultural resource.MoP has proven to be successful in furthering cultural development in post-apartheid South Africa, and education remains a pivotal outcome. The event promotes visual literacy and the exhibitions can be tailored to deal with urgent issues facing the southern African community. Exhibitions dealing with topics such as HIV-Aids, environmental management and other social concerns facing South Africa and the world at large are sought out for their educational and informative benefits to raise social consciousness. The biennale therefore not only stimulates thought, but is a means for social upliftment and establishes a cultural exchange network and a communal support and information link. The event is designed to showcase established photographers while also providing the opportunity for upcoming photographers to gain credibility.

In addition to the exhibitions there are also educational and cultural workshops held at Guga S’thebe Arts and Cultural Centre and UWC among others. The Umlilo Photographers that are based at Guga S’thebe will be having an exhibition Impilo Yethu that will open on the 3 March and run until the end of the month.

This exhibition will be presented as a work in progress. The workshop that will be run at Guga S’thebe will therefore focus on teaching working photographers how to develop their technical skills and become more commercially viable. The program will also enable these photographers to network thus establishing a support system and professional camaraderie. The festival is centered within Cape Town’s CBD in order for the majority of the exhibitions to be within close proximity to one another thus establishing a festive atmosphere. One can visit a gallery showcasing works dealing with a social/political theme and then walk across the road and see a conceptual exhibition in which the medium of photography as a recording device is itself under scrutiny.

Compiled by Jenny Altschuler