Joyful images of 1960s and 70s Africa

 

  By Precious Adesina/  BBC Culture

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Many African nations experienced excitement and a cultural revival after gaining independence. According to Precious Adesina's writing, it was a period of freedom and creativity.

Sanlé Sory was shocked to learn how expensive having his photo taken for his ID card in 1957, which inspired him to launch his own company.

According to the Burkinabe photographer Sory, "I paid about 25,000 [West African] francs [£32] and a bottle of whisky to a Ghanaian photographer, Kojo Adamako, to become his apprentice for roughly two years."

 

That was the start of a new career, just as my nation was ready to gain independence. By the mid-1960s, Sory had opened Volts Photo, a photography studio in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso, which quickly took off.

 

At the start of Sory's career, in 1960, 17 African nations had become independent. In the years that followed, photographic studios sprung up around the continent, by default documenting how each country embraced their newly found liberation. "There was a total sense of freedom back then, and most people looked down on the colonial past [of their country].

They wanted to be themselves," says Sory. His work – and studio images by other photographers across the continent at the time – can be found in Africa Fashion, an exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

The show explores fashion across Africa from the mid-20th Century to today, looking at photography, textiles, music and the visual arts. But it isn't just about style. "Our aim, through the exhibition, is to use fashion as a catalyst to give our audiences a glimpse of the myriad of cultures and histories on the continent," lead curator Dr Christine Checinska tells BBC Culture.

 

The period of decolonisation ignited a new sense of excitement in artists of many countries across Africa

 

The exhibition starts with the African independence era and takes spectators on a journey through that time period up to the present and the fashion that is currently coming out of the continent. Contemporary pieces include bespoke clothing as well as creations by the Nigerian brand Orange Culture, which questions the idea of "male clothing."

 

"We start in the independence era because, for many, it epitomises pride in being black and African," says Checinska. The period of decolonisation ignited a new sense of excitement in artists of many countries across Africa. It was a time of African cultural renaissance, with many using their medium to explore their relationship with their country. "Naturally, people were embracing the opportunity to form their own identity. They felt the freedom to express themselves without being under colonial eye," says David Hill, owner of West London photography space David Hill Gallery.

 

Studio photography was not new, but faster shutter speeds and cheaper development processes, alongside the plethora of new studios, allowed people to record and celebrate even minor achievements in their lives. "There was a need for people to have photographs of themselves to give to friends and family," Hill tells BBC.

 

Capturing a moment

Photographer Rachidi Bissirou from Benin, whose work is also on display at the V&A, frequently took pictures of individuals riding motorcycles. A young man named Albert and two well-dressed buddies are seated on a Honda in an unidentified 1978 photograph. "They frequently are young men in their late teens or early 20s, riding a brand-new, gleaming bike, and wanting to capture the moment. They might request six images, usually in the form of postcards "claims Hill.

 

People felt free and proud, and this was expressed in their clothing and attitude – Rachidi Bissirou

 

In Sory's photographs, clients frequently posed in front of vibrantly painted backdrops, depicting, for instance, a beach, an airplane, often holding various props to complement the scene. In Allo, on Arrive! taken in 1978 by Sory, two men in flared trousers pose in front of a backdrop of a plane. One stands as if boarding the aircraft, while the other stages a phone call on a rotary telephone. "It was quite a common thing for people to have a box of props," says Hill, "Plastic guns, swords and shields, portable radios. That kind of thing."

Regardless of how we view these images today, many photographers at the time considered their work as a trade rather than an art form, which meant they were frequently unaware of what was going on in the industry outside of their local area. "Back then, I was unaware of any other photographers. 

I simply thought of photography as a chance to start a career and make some money "Sory continues, noting that people may pose in any manner they chose. Even though it was never intended to be fashion photography, a lot of Sory's work now appears to us to be that. According to Bissirou, "People felt free and proud, and this was reflected in their clothing and attitude." I occasionally assisted them with their poses, but they chose their own attire.

 

Beyond studio photography, independence impacted many aspects of the cultural sphere across Africa. In 1966, Senegalese President Leopold Senghor held the First World Festival of Negro Arts (FESMAN) in Dakar, the first modern event celebrating global black culture. 

It was an opportunity to commemorate the arts in newly independent African nations, and included more than 2,000 writers, artists and musicians from across Africa and the African diaspora. "The sophistication of the continent was shown through creativity in the arts," says Checinska, adding that the "power of creativity to affect change" was apparent throughout the festival.

 

Some artists also used independence to question the practices of their country. The cover artwork by Lemi Gharioukwu for Nigerian musician Fela Kuti's 1989 album Beast of No Nation is displayed at the start of the exhibition. "Beasts of No Nation condemned the post-independence generation of lost politicians, lamenting the missed opportunities and broken lives," writes historian Gus Casely-Hayford in the exhibition catalogue.

 

Kuti is widely considered one of the most influential musicians to emerge from post-independence Nigeria, and his music still impacts artists and political conversation today. "The album tapped into the wider cultural backdrop of the continent's crippling frustrations and bitter disappointment with its politicians and business communities, but it also reflected the indefatigable energy of Africa's creative sectors and their irrepressible drive to create beautiful things in the face of unimaginable challenges."

 

Nevertheless, despite the commonalities across nations, Africa Fashion takes care to avoid blending the entire continent together and leaves room to highlight the distinctions between nations. According to the curator, "We want to keep it open-ended." "We never use the singular while discussing it, whether in the text of the gallery or in conversation. Because we want to acknowledge that African fashions are many different things, it is always in the plural."

 

Additionally, by depicting the continent through the eyes of its inhabitants, an authentic view of African nations can be obtained that is free of overt stereotypes and Western prejudice. If a Western photographer is present, there will likely be at least 400 years' worth of issues, according to Hill. "It's a more honest picture of the society, the way people were living, what they wore and how they lived their daily lives."

 

 

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