“Life was cheap and everyone could have a ball. You could always go out and have some fun.”
~ Sanlé Sory
Sanlé Sory was a true pioneer, who helped shape the visual identity of a newly independent Burkina Faso. When he opened his studio, Volta Photo, in Bobo-Dioulasso—the same year his country began its transition from a distant colony to an independent nation—he made it his mission to help people, in his own words, “make their photo their own.” With painted backdrops, tiled floors, and props chosen with care, his studio became a space of joy and expression. Musicians, dancers, artists, and everyday people came not only to be photographed, but to participate in creating how they wished to be seen. Each image was a collaboration, a reflection of pride and possibility.
The energy of that moment—the music, the movement, the optimism—feels especially poignant today. Sory’s photographs are far more than portraits, records of parties, or celebrations. They are affirmations of identity, freedom, and self-expression. Prideful, powerful, and timeless—reminders of the strength and hope we could all use a little more of in 2025.