The Ancient Traditions of Timbuktu, by Alexandra Huddleston

When: Tue, Nov 18 2008 6:30pm

Where: El Pinto Restaurant

Thanks to our speaker Alexandra Hyddleston, Professor of Physics, the NM Chapter of the Fulbright Association and to the El Pinto catering staff.

Event Description

The traditional Islamic scholarship of Timbuktu, Mali, comes out of an ancient pedagogy that has existed in West Africa since at least the 12th century. Alexandra Huddleston, a documentary photographer who has worked extensively in West Africa, spent a year in Timbuktu photographing what remains of this ancient tradition, supported by a Fulbright Student Islamic Civilizations grant (2006-2007).

As a photographer who often works in the developing world and on under-represented issues, she may be categorized as a “concerned photographer”. Her concern, however, is not to change the world. It is, rather, to open doors between cultures and individuals through photography and, in so doing, to enable them to decide how and if they want to change their worlds. This talk will reflect these aspirations.