2020 Theses Master's

Locating Abdourahmane Sakaly: Photography in Mali (1950s-1980s)

Morse, Hannah

During the years that followed Independence in Mali, Abdourahmane Sakaly was one of the most well-known photographers in Bamako, though his life and practice subvert current conceptions of photography in Mali at that time as represented in the published record. Sakaly’s particular background provided him with a skill set and world-view that informed his aesthetic; his images convey an alternative idea of modernity, based on character and individuality. Including Sakaly in the canon gives a more complete and nuanced account of a field that has been labeled African photography.