Dar Foto Festival 2024

Dar Foto Festival 2024 is an annual photography event in Dar es Salaam that aims to create a community of photographers and art lovers, a sense of belonging and a space for growth.

The festival will feature a 1-month exhibition with 12 Tanzanian artists involved, a series of photography walks organised in Dar es Salaam and Stone Town, thematic dialogues with artists and experts, and portfolio reviews by established artists accessible for aspiring photographers. Dar Foto Festival 2024 will take place from 2 – 4 February at DARCH (Old Boma building), Dar es Salaam.

The theme of Dar Foto Festival 2024 is People, Economy, Change: “The economy is a central part of our life, shaping the way we live, work, and interact. At the same time, it is us people who shape the economy. In our interaction with the economy we create change. Tanzania is a perfect example – we have a flourishing economy, whilst sitting on a treasure of cultural heritage. Our urban areas are vibrant, and our nature sites are known globally. But change is also challenging us to evolve – globalisation, climate change, social injustice.”

Among the headline artists of Dar Foto Festival 2024 are Gertrude Alex, Joshua Mwemsi, Daniel Msirikale, Natalia Eric Msungu, and the creative collective MERVKi. Their works cover a diverse set of topics ranging from the significance of lake Mwanza for local communities (Daniel Msirikale – Shoreside Stories), and the challenges of women in the informal economy (Gertrude Alex – Mama Mishe) to a depiction of the fast-paced life of music artists in Tanzania (Joshua Mewemsi – Muziki na Maisha).

Dar Foto Festival 2024 puts a special attention to emerging photographers, and has therefore launched an open call for submissions of Tanzanian artists to share their work under the theme People, Economy, Change. Seven emerging artists have been selected and will be exhibited side-by-side with the headline artists.