PHOTAMA Activities
PHOTAMA has been involved in a variety of activities since it's formation. The activities listed below are just a sample:
Photography Meetings
PHOTAMA holds monthly meetings at the French Cultural Centre in Blantyre. Usually, the meetings are thematic and often include a peer review or critique of each other's work. March 1998 - present
Administrative Meetings
PHOTAMA holds its first general meeting. Secretariat elected and Board of Directors appointed. August 1998
PHOTAMA Board of Directors meeting. May 1999
PHOTAMA first Annual General Meeting. New Secretariat elected and two new Board members appointed. September 1999
Office and Resource Library
PHOTAMA moves into their new office in Phekani House, and establish the most extensive photographic resource library in Malawi. While still modest by International standards, the initial donation of more than 150 books and magazines was invaluable for photographers in Malawi who have very little access to photographic information. September 1998
PHOTAMA News
First PHOTAMA News newsletter was published in October 1998. Subsequent editions have been published in December 1998, March 1999, June 1999, and January 2000.
Photographers' Database / Referral Service
The PHOTAMA Photographer Referral Service was established in November 1998, to maintain profiles of Malawian photographers and their work for potential clients.
The Photographic Production and Licensing Agreement
Using various international examples of production agreement forms (ASMP, CAPIC, etc.), PHOTAMA drafted a Malawi-specific "Photographic Production and Licensing Agreement". The Agreement has been endorsed by the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA), and will be used to introduce written agreements between photographers and clients, gain better fees for the work of Malawian photographers, and to protect photographers' copyrights.
Presentations
Professor Edward Chitsulo of the Polytechnic, conducted a presentation on "The Power of Photography: Ethical and Legal Dimensions" in October 1998
Mr. Fletcher Gong'a of the College of Medicine, conducted a presentation on "Digital Cameras: The Future of Photography?" in November 1998
Chris Osler and Fletcher Gong'a conducted a hands-on "Introduction to Photography and Basic Techniques" seminar in December 1998
Fletcher Gong'a and Chris Osler conducted a presentation on "Marketing Your Photographs" in Spring 1999.
Chris Osler and Alex Steele-Perkins conducted a presentation on "Copyright Issues for Photographers" in Spring 1999
Consultative Meetings
PHOTAMA was represented at the "World Intellectual Property Rights" seminar in Lilongwe in October 1998
PHOTAMA was represented at the "Ethics and Code of Conduct" workshop of the Media Council of Malawi in October 1998
Training Workshops
PHOTAMA facilitated the acceptance of one photographer to a fully-funded, week-long photojournalism workshop at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) in Johannesburg in May 1998
Three women photographers and the PHOTAMA program coordinator represented PHOTAMA at a one-week fully-funded "Women and Photojournalism in East and Southern Africa" workshop in Harare in November 1998. This workshop was hosted by SAMSO and funded by CAF.
Above left - Photojournalism trainers Margaret Waller (left) and Zubeida Vallie at SAMSO in Harare.
Above right - A few of the workshop participants in Harare.
Two PHOTAMA photographers
attended a three-week
photojournalism course hosted by the Malawi Institute of
Journalism (MIJ). The course was facilitated by Danish photographer, Michael
Harder, with
assistance from the PHOTAMA program coordinator. March, April, May 1999
Photographer Michael
Harder
Two PHOTAMA photographers attended a three-week, fully-funded photojournalism and new technologies course in Lusaka, Zambia, in April 1999. The course was organized by the Nordic SADC Journalism Centre (NSJC).
Four PHOTAMA photographers attended a two-week, fully-funded "Training of Photojournalism Trainers" course in Johannesburg in March/April 1999. The course was facilitated by the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ).
PHOTAMA Director and Program Coordinator represented PHOTAMA at the World Press Photo 1999 Awards and Exhibition days in Amsterdam in April 1999.
PHOTAMA Director, Fletcher Gong'a, at the 1999 World Press Photo Opening in Amsterdam (left)
PHOTAMA Director, Fletcher Gong'a at the WPP Head Office with WPP Director, Arpad Gerecsey (on right), and Deputy Managing Director, Michiel Munneke
With the funding assistance of the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Gender Program and the cooperation of the Ministry of Women, PHOTAMA facilitated a "Skills Development Program for Women in Photography" in Blantyre for 16 women. August and November 1999.
Contests and Exhibitions
The 1999 Malawi Press Photo Awards was initiated and organized by PHOTAMA in November 1998 and the winning contest work was exhibited at the French Cultural Centre in Blantyre.
The winning entries were also published in the Malawian arts journal - WASI - in Spring 1999
The "Skills Development Programme for Women in Photography" Women of Malawi exhibition launched in February 2000.