Sanlé Sory: Volta Photo

The studio photographs of Sory Sanlé and his participation in the vibrant music scene in Bobo-Dioulasso give us a picture of a cos – mopolitan city shaping its independent identity in the 1960s through to the ’80s, the heyday of West African independence movements. Vintage photographs, seven-inch record sleeves and studio acces – sories are all reproduced in the most extensive portrayal to date of photography and music as key popular art forms with local, national and international resonance. With the colorful full title of Volta Photo: Starring Sory Sanlé and the Good People of Bobo-Dioulasso in the Small but Musically Mighty African Country of Burkina Faso.

‘You need to make a memory, step by step, so that you can pass down good memories to the young ones who’ll come after you to those who have yet to be born. You may no longer be here, but your images will and they’ll see them. […] Photography is a witness to everything… For me, without any photos, nothing actually happened.’ -Sory Sanlé