Malick Sidibe

A group of youngsters gathering outside of a club -- Saturday night fever in Bamako/Mali; couples performing the Mali twist in a disco, wild combinations of traditional African clothing and shiny western shirts lit by the stroboscope of a late night party, and the beauty of having fun, drinking, dancing to the music -- the nightlife of thirty years ago in the city of famous photographer Seydou Keita, captured by his "younger brother", photographer Malick Sidibe. Sidibe's genre pictures, group portraits, images of couples in love, of sexy young men and women express pure joy of life. They are fun to look at, fabulous examples for anybody interested in fashion and style, and perfect examples of the life of a hybrid society, oscillating between the traditional tribal life and urban survival in the West African city of Bamako. After the success of Seydou Keita, it is time to extend the history of African photography -- and Malick Sidibe with his party and club pictures is just perfect to experience how different from the stereotype Africa can be!