One hand amputated, in a wheelchair or on crutches: twenty models with disabilities took part in a fashion show in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) to break taboos and change the way society sees people with disabilities.
Sylvia, dressed in a green and white dress, leaning on her crutches, opened the fashion show in front of an enthusiastic audience at the pool of a large hotel in the Ivorian economic metropolis.
Whether a red pantsuit, a boubou (a typical Senegalese outer garment), a Bogolan dress (a colorful African fabric) or a blue tunic with matching print motifs, the models, who were dressed in the latest creations of the fashion designers from Abidjan, showed on the catwalk at this event with the name “Fortes et belles au pluriel” (strong and beautiful in the plural) in a wide variety of clothing.
The initiative came from Grâce Bého, who had his forearm amputated after a traffic accident. Six months ago she set up the Mougnan Foundation (“Forward despite the Difficulties” in the Guéré language of western Ivory Coast), which launched the fashion show that coincided with International Day of People with Disabilities on December 3rd.
“I think that the women who will be watching us, who do not yet have this self-confidence, (…) stand by themselves and show themselves to the world as they are,” said the young woman when she was from Catwalk rises. Leslie Antsere has neurofibromatosis, an incurable disease that disfigures the face. After her fashion show, she agreed and is happy to have attended “an event that will save you from being ashamed of yourself.”
“Even with a disability, we can surpass ourselves and do many things. Overcoming the disability means accepting oneself, the view and criticism of society must not rub off on our personality, ”added the master of ceremonies Nelly Aka, who despite a disability has high heels on her feet, added at the microphone.
“Fear of conviction”
Although there are officially 453,000 people with disabilities in Ivory Coast, which is roughly two percent of the population, the organization of such an event is exceptional.
“Talking about people with disabilities in the world of beauty is a taboo in the Ivory Coast,” says Ange Prisca Gnagbo, another organizer of the evening: “You are marginalized at all events that revolve around beauty. “
And the exclusion of people with disabilities goes beyond the world of fashion. “Many of these very vulnerable women with disabilities, who are rejected and marginalized, hide out of fear of conviction,” confirms the Ivory Coast sociologist Yves Ouya. For Abdoudramane Coulibaly, advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) and head of the NGO “Mobilité HP”, the issue also fails due to a lack of will at the political level. “If we suggest that non-disabled people walk with crutches for a day, then we will be understood much better than with big speeches. This could reduce prejudice against people with disabilities, ”he suggests.
By focusing on the personal development, leadership and professional integration of these women, the Mougnan Association hopes to break a taboo in Ivory Coast. “We wanted to do something different. Mobilize funds to upgrade people with disabilities and force them to step out of their shell, ”explains Junior Gbamélé, their vice-president. “In the decades to come, I dream that disabled people will assert themselves where doors were previously closed to them,” adds Grâce Beho. (AFP)
This article was previously published on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ