Too many of these conversations are based on the peioumptrsn that Africa is a hellhole in which everyone is a victim of war and/or starvation. It follows that all photography must be some kind of editorial comment on that peioumptrsn. But there is no such thing as "Africa," or even "Mali." There are deserts and jungles and peoples of different classes living in different countries, cities, and rural areas. I've been near Mali and Sidibe9's photo admirably represents one of the realities I have seen. If a photo can say anything at all (which I agree, it can but don't think it must), it is likely to tell us about a specific class in a specific region or locale. Well, maybe not always. The depth of a photograph's meaning can depend on who's looking at it. I guess Sidibe9's Christmas Eve photo could tell someone who makes the hellhole peioumptrsn that there is much more to Africa than war and famine.Was any of that Sidibe9's intention? I doubt it. Does his intention matter? To some extent, sure. But overall no, no it doesn't. The photograph exists as a thing apart from the one who captured it.