Amateur Griots

In West African societies, the griot is a storyteller and a keeper of village traditions. Malian and American photographers took the concept to another level by handing cameras to 22 sixth-graders in Malian villages. The resulting pictures tell stories of Malian daily life to the world. Fresh from the Smithsonian, Visual Griots of Mali: Photography by African Youth is an exhibition of about 50 black-and-white pictures of smiling faces working, playing and worshipping in a dusty landscape. The photos are on display through August 12 in the east mezzanine of the Central Library (14 West 10th Street).