The protagonism of the Consejo Mexicano de Fotografia in the process of decolonization of latin american photography

Abstract

This article is a literature review of the decolonization process of Latin American photography, aiming to explain the importance of the Consejo Mexicano de Fotografia (CMF), created in Mexico City, as a leading organization in triggering this process. The study is based on authors who problematize the theoretical assumptions about the issue of Latin American coloniality, as well as on the creation of photography and its historical process in the subcontinent. We identified the emergence of a certain unity of photographers and photography scholars in Latin America, providing the organization of numerous councils and associations in Latin American countries from the creation of the Consejo Mexicano de Fotografia in 1978. The said council arose from the need to study and research the photography of the subcontinent, which until then was lacking in its own analyses and dependent on European and US production. Thus began the movement to search for a genuine identity regarding Latin American photography. This Mexican action resulted in the organization of photography councils in other countries, as well as in the holding of five editions of the event between 1978 and 1996, essential meetings for the construction of the photographic identity of the subcontinent. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of this movement for the determination of new canons in photographic research and production in Latin America.