Detail of “Chemises” by Malick Sidibe

Malick Sidibe: ” … Sometimes I think that youth, dancing and joy are the only things that really matter in life. Don’t you think? After that, it’s all downhill. Those times were truly, truly joyful.”
Michelle Lamuniere: “Do you think any of that had to do with Mali winning its independence from France in 1960?”
Malick Sidibe: “Yes it did have to do with independence, but not necessarily colonial independence. There was another kind of independence, too. By 1956, Afro-Cuban music had hit Africa, along with European music, and that allowed young people to experience a new kind of freedom. Before, things were more traditional, it was impossible for a young man and a young woman to even go near each other, let alone speak to another. Girls weren’t allowed out of the house in skirts. No way! So they wore pagnes over their miniskirts. When they got to the party, they would take off their pagnes and dance. You have to understand what a big deal it was to be able to dance with a girl …. for us this freedom was a totally new thing, so we got really excited.”

Malick Sidibe interviewed for “Ready to Wear” (pp. 132 to 159), in Issue 88 (Vol 10 No. 4) of Transition.

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