The collection
The collection consists of more than 200 portraits in black and white taken in Mali from 1958 to 1982.

Behind the cameras were six skilled photographers, who made photography their profession and established popular studios, where people came to be photographed next to symbols of prestige - often borrowed from the photographer at a small charge. Quite often, they had saved for a long time to be able to pay for this single photograph.

Read about the photographers and see some of their pictures:

• Hamadou Bocoum
• Abderramane Sakaly
• El Hadj Bassirou Sanni and Latifu Sanni
• El Hadj Tidiane Shitou
• Malick Sidibé