The exhibit is a very small room; each wall has around four images of people. Some are in negatives and black and white. The subject is mainly of colored people during the 1960s. Malick Sidbé is known for his dynamic shots of Malian Culture.
The main subject for the exhibit is the Malian Culture. It shows how people dressed during the 1960s in West Africa. He took pictures of people dancing, swimming and even kissing. The images that he took show how people lived and what they did for fun during that 1960s era.
One image that I really liked is titled “Baptism at Jafuna’s. The image shows two ladies and one gentleman. They are on the right side of the image so the rules of thirds takes effect here. The image has a lot of contrast between dark and light areas. The background is just a wall but with the floor, it gives it a strong horizontal line going from left-to-right.
The exhibit shows how people lived in West Africa during the 1960s. The subject is Malian Culture. Sidbé managed to capture live moments of how people lived, acted, and what they did for fun. I don’t believe that these images have any emotional impact on me because it doesn’t show anything wrong with the people; it shows them having a good time.
I know the show was small but 4 walls each with 4 pictures would only be 16 pieces and I know there were more than that!
It is sort of amazing two of the greatest West African photographers, Seydou Keita and Malick Sidibi, were both from Mali.
I am interested in your comment that since the people appear to be having a good time, the exhibit doesn’t have an emotional impact. On the other hand, we have all seen so many picture of war and starvation in Africa, I think it is really important to see some photos of everyday life and in particular everyday life where people are enjoying themselves. Maybe this isn’t emotional impact but it does round out the picture in a really important way. I am wondering if it made it easier for you to relate to the people of West Africa to see them having a good time?