Nuit de Noël (Happy Club)

The dance of this festively dressed couple is both elegant and diffident. Their heads lean together, while their eyes concentrate on her bare feet and his smart loafers. In spite of the careful composition, the photograph has the disorganised intimacy of a family snapshot. Malian photographer Malick Sidibé proved himself to be a master in capturing the relaxed atmosphere of the nightlife in Bamako in the 1960s and 70s. At the time of Malian independence in 1960, Sidibé, a goldsmith by profession, was working as an apprentice photographer at a French portrait studio. In 1962, he opened his own business, Studio Malick, specialising in reportage. Young people had a great deal of freedom in this period. Sidibé photographed self-confident, hip youngsters in his studio, on swimming trips to the beach and on occasions such as this Christmas party, where a girl is teaching her brother to dance.