Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali

About the Exhibition

The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portraits in Traore’s series Des marabouts de Djenné (Marabouts of Jenne) reflect his intimate connections to the city’s people and deep history. Learned and devout, marabouts teach in Djenné’s over 50 Qur’anic schools, offer spiritual guidance, and treat ailments through their knowledge of the Qur’an.

Made during a time of political and social upheaval in Mali, these portraits reflect enduring cultural resilience. Each image depicts a marabout seated with the tools of his practice—books, Qur’an boards, amulets, and prayer beads—framed by the architecture and atmosphere of Djenné. The consistent format underscores their collective identity, while individual poses and captions highlight personal roles and neighborhoods.

Traoré’s work is shown alongside mid-20th-century black-and-white portraits of marabouts by Malian photographers Mamadou Cissé, Abdourahmane Sakaly, and Tijani Sitou. Drawn from the Archive of Malian Photography, these earlier images share visual parallels and deepen the historical context. Together, these images illuminate evolving perspectives on spiritual authority, identity, and visual representation in Mali.

This exhibition is developed in collaboration with the artist and professor Candace Keller, co-founder of the Archive of Malian Photography.

Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali is organized by The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University.  The exhibition is curated by Kathleen Bickford Berzock, Block Museum associate director of curatorial affairs, in consultation with project advisor Candace M. Keller, associate professor of African art and visual culture, Michigan State University.

This presentation of the exhibition is organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University and curated by Candace M. Keller, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Art, Art History, and Design, and director of the Archive of Malian Photography, Michigan State University, with support from Rachel Winter, Ph.D., assistant curator.