L'homme qui fume

Sory Sanlé began his photographic career in 1960, two years after his country, formerly known as French Upper Volta, gained its semi-independent status from France and became the Republic of Upper Volta. With the ability to photograph the cultural shift in his country, Sanlé opened a studio (called VOLTA PHOTO) in Bobo-Dioulasso, the country’s capital city. He soon became the most sought-after photographer in the republic, which later became Burkina Faso in 1984. His portraits of youth groups, sales people, singers, and the occasional Elvis impersonator convey the excitement and restlessness of the youth culture in his newly independent country. Sanlé also travelled around Burkina Faso, throwing dance parties in the cities he visited and photographing subjects outside of his studio. On his life’s work, Sanlé simply states “the more you like something, the more you invest yourself in your passion.”