The new edition of the photographic exhibition ‘Africa – Faces, Gazes and Hopes of a People’ by Spanish artist Elena Molina was inaugurated last Friday and will be on display until Sunday 14 December in the charming Church of Sant'Anna, in the heart of the historic centre of Mesagne.

This is a much-anticipated return, following last year's success, with the splendid images of Ibrahim Rashid, documentary photographer, YouTuber and traveller, based in Nairobi, which once again strengthens the subtle and surprising thread that links Mesagne to Nairobi.

A bond that became even stronger last July when Freddie del Curatolo presented his latest book, ‘Ti immagini l'Africa’ (Imagine Africa), in the town of Brindisi, accompanied by an exhibition of images by Maddalena ‘Leni Frau’ Stefanelli taken from the same volume: a bridge of gazes and stories that now finds new life in Molina's photographs.

This year, thirty photographs make up the exhibition, an emotional journey through Nigeria, Ethiopia, Angola, Chad, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin and Kenya.

Thirty encounters, we might say, rather than photographs: faces that speak without the need for captions, identities that resist the noise of the world, fragments of humanity captured at dusk, when the light does not judge but caresses.

Molina, born in Alcoi and resident for half a century in her beloved Barcelona, confesses that she found in photography the natural consequence of her restlessness as a traveller. “When I travel,” she says, “I feel free, without constraints, without belonging. That's where I feel at home, wherever I am”. This freedom also gave rise to her ongoing project, Caleidoscopio Umano (Human Kaleidoscope), a tribute to diversity and to communities that defend their identity against the simplification of the modern world. Faces that would once have been labelled “sorcerers” or “bearers of mysteries”, but which preserve ancient knowledge, deep roots and an intimate relationship with nature and its remedies.

It is no coincidence that the artist is also involved in social issues: the proceeds from her book ‘El sueño de Amara’ support the construction of water wells in Ethiopia; she has collaborated with the Malaika Foundation and with educational projects in the slums of Nairobi, such as Kapuezesha, contributing to the creation of solidarity calendars and initiatives for the schooling of children.

“We are happy and proud to repeat last year's experience,” explains Gabriele Colucci, president of Arci La Manovella, “welcoming another international artist capable of portraying Africa through beauty and hope”. The association, which has always been committed to cultural cooperation, is thus renewing an event that is not only an exhibition, but also a dialogue, an encounter and a reflection of a continent that continues to inspire, attract and unsettle.

The exhibition is open every day from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, with free admission.

An opportunity to lose yourself in the sights of Africa without leaving Mesagne. To discover, perhaps, that certain distances are not as far as they seem.

Useful information:

Location: Church of Sant'Anna, Piazza Orsini del Balzo, historic centre of Mesagne

Dates: 5–14 December

Opening hours: 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Free admission

Contact: Associazione Arci La Manovella – 349 5351946