Dar Foto Festival 2025

Since 2021, Dar Foto Festival has hosted a number of exhibitions and events nationally and internationally to build a photography community, exhibit works of Tanzanian artists and support photographers in their creative development.

Overview

The annual Dar Foto Festival has become one of the most interesting art events in Tanzania over the last years. Festival founder Andrew Stephen Munuwa and co-founder Valentin Rudloff aim to build an inclusive and inspiring community around photography through exhibitions, artist dialogues, and photography courses. Photography has the power to tell important stories, spark dialogue, and challenge our perspectives, connecting people across divides and inspiring change. Through the lens, we see not just the world, but the stories that shape it.

Dar Foto Festival believes that photography should be accessible to everyone. The festival fosters inclusivity by providing a stage for emerging artists alongside established photographers. It also ensures its exhibitions and events are accessible to diverse audiences, creating an environment where art can be experienced by people from all backgrounds.

The new edition is dedicated to the theme of Coexistence. We are born in a country, we are part of a generation and perhaps a member of a religious group. We exist in our individual reality and yet coexist with so many others. What makes and breaks peaceful coexistence when there is so much diversity?

Since its independence in 1961, Tanzania’s leadership has strived for peaceful coexistence as a fundamental principle. Under Julius Nyerere, the concepts of "Ujamaa" (brotherhood) and "Uhuru na Umoja" (freedom and unity) fostered a cohesive national identity and collective responsibility. Despite mixed outcomes, these efforts significantly shaped Tanzania’s peaceful coexistence. Similarly, Africa’s immense diversity, with over 2,000 languages and numerous ethnic groups, has led to unique approaches and challenges in coexistence, often emphasizing communalism and the concept of Ubuntu (I am because we are).

Dar Foto Festival 2025 aims to establish a dialogue on the meanings of peaceful coexistence in Tanzania and beyond. It explores the complexities of living together in shared spaces. By drawing on indigenous and contemporary models of community, the festival encourages introspection and an embrace of dialogue.

The festival's program includes activities such as several exhibitions with established and emerging Tanzanian photographers across Dar es Salaam and Stone Town, portfolio reviews, photo walks to learn about street and documentary photography and connect with other photographers, and a series of conversations with professionals exploring subjects relating to photography and coexistence.