The skin bleaching practice is losing ground in Africa

The bleaching phenomenon

Skin bleaching is not a new phenomenon. It has been practised for centuries and takes many forms, relying on various lightening agents such as creams, pills or injections, among others. While the means are diverse, one factor, the common denominator – the longing for lighter skin – remains constant. This desire stems from either an inferiority complex, a situation where an individual is ashamed of their skin colour, or a desire to obtain the prestige of “fitting in” with a certain social class or attracting the admiration of some people.

Skin bleaching exists on all the continents, among all races and the majority of people who buy into this “metamorphosis” are Blacks, Browns (mulattoes and Latinos) and the Yellow (term for Asians in general). The last two nouns were used for the first time by proponents of race theories like the French Arthur de Gobineau around the nineteenth century. In the US, for instance, within the Black community skin bleaching is also called “passing”, since it allows a dark-skinned person who succeeds in bleaching or whitening their skin effectively to be seen by society as White. In Asia, a light-skinned person has more prestige in general and many people indulge in the practice.

The attraction to the “other” is manifested here as Caucasians are often attracted to the dark-skinned or tanned ones. Speculations classify this as an offshoot of the “exotic”, or the curiosity for the unknown. The sexual attraction between such people is explained by the concept of the exotic, a term that often relates to denigration of the unknown or inferior race or skin colour.  The attraction of a White male to a Black female has been observed as a romantic phenomenon or as a mere curiosity of the Whites towards the races they “conquered” or colonized, a notion that I reject as mere fallacy, an apologia to justify imperialism and pillage. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899) presents a case of such an attraction. The European Kurtz, who has a European fiancée waiting for him back home, has a relationship with an African woman, his African mistress as the author writes. The exotic could also justify the desire of Black Caribbean men (from Martinique for instance) to go to bed with White sex workers in Europe, as the famous theorist and psychoanalyst Frantz Fanon from Martinique describes in his seminal oeuvre, Black Skin White Masks (1952).

Burkina Faso’s stance against skin bleaching

A turning point against the process of depigmentation is at the centre of a social or popular movement in Burkina Faso, a country which is so much read about in the news these days, since a seized power in 2022. Positions, often seen as radical but cherished by Pan-African leftist militants, scholars or citizen, have resurfaced. Last February, a popular association re-emerged and stressed the necessity of “condemning” skin bleaching because of its negative impact on citizens’ health. In countries that share borders with Burkina Faso, skin bleaching is embraced by all sexes. Both men and women lighten their skin. This fight against skin whitening is not a nascent thing in Burkina. In February 2022, the same association, the African Association to Stop Depigmentation (IASD in French) called on African women to value their skin and “get rid of all complexes”. The association is said to be apolitical, non-profit, and secular.

In 2022, research showed that 50 per cent of Burkinabè women used skin-lightening products. The president of the IASD lamented the fact that “coming across waxed black complexion is becoming increasingly rare among women”. He added that women go through the process because they perceive light skin as seductive and a considerable proportion of men encourage their wives in the practice. These statements were made during a press briefing. The leaders of the IASD made strong statements in favour of black skin and refuted the inferiority complex that leads to skin whitening.

It is ironic to find that, in February this year, the same debate and crusade resurfaced, spearheaded by the same body, IASD. Undoubtedly, they thought that the time was ripe to have their agenda approved by the Burkinabè population and the revolutionary regime in power. The difference being that this time, the IASD meticulously pointed out through the media what they considered to be the roots of this trend and the devastating drawbacks it carries. They recalled the colonial origin of skin bleaching and the inferiority complex that was inculcated in Blacks during that period. While I find the aim of IASD to be noble and worth defending, I believe they need to conduct further research on the origins of the practice. Although it is sustained by an inferiority complex, skin bleaching is older than the colonial days, as cited earlier in the article. On the other hand, one could “bail the association out” with the argument that they traced depigmentation to colonization in order to make their stance and message clear to the population. They listed the dangers associated with the practice (most of them are health-related and social in nature) in clear terms for the education of the masses: skin diseases, respiratory complications, cancer,  jeopardizing the life of babies in the case of pregnant women and a condition described as “taxi” in Burkinabè parlance, which denotes living with a complexion that is neither dark nor light, and which generally subjects the victims to ridicule. This strategy had the objective of selling the policy and ideals of the association, since healthcare is one of the priorities of the current Burkinabè Government.

The vulnerability of the youth, especially of females was cited, and the speakers added that the desire to look lighter, prettier and more beautiful leads young ladies into the practice, at times under the nose of their parents who say nothing.

The association identifies stricter control of the importation of products into the country as one of the strategies that could alleviate the problem. Many combinations of products such as oils and soaps are used to create bleaching agents which have a negative effect on human health. The cost of the products may be as high as 50,000 CFA (100 USD). They are disbursed by a large number of women in a country battling against basic underdevelopment discomforts. The organization wrote a letter to the transitional president and requested a tightening of certain rules and regulations, a decision they feel could dissuade the use of skin lightening products.

This initiative could provide several benefits for African populations and all those who patronize skin bleaching. Those positive changes could be material, economic, social and a positive mental   predisposition. The message of IASD should be heeded on all continents.

Moussa Traoré is Associate Professor at the Department of English of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.