Malians Here and There
Patrick Zachmann presents a visual dialogue between families living in their homeland of Mali and those that have left for Paris
There are over 60, 000 Malian citizens working in France. The French government has therefore decided to improve their family, schooling, social and cultural conditions. One example of this is the French town of Evry, with 50, 000 inhabitants, 5% are Malian migrant workers. It has created a ‘twin towns’ programme with the town of Kayes who also have a population of 50, 000 in Mali, which provides two thirds of Mali’s migrant force to France. Most Malians send a large part of their wages back home, thus improving their families’ conditions.
With Maliens Here and There, renowned photographer of identity Patrick Zachmann, sets out to present a dialogue between Malian families who have remained in their homeland, principally in Kayes, and their close relatives and friends who have come to work and live in Evry, a ‘new town’ in the suburbs of Paris. His photographs literally tell about the correspondences and contrasting ways of life between the two. He invites us on a journey into the heart of a world that makes its presence felt in color here and in black and white over there.
