Be True to Who You Are and to Your Skin Colour
A personal essay challenging the widespread practice of skin bleaching among young African women, framed as a failure of self-esteem rather than aesthetic choice. The writer draws on her own experience, medical evidence, and the example of celebrated dark-skinned figures to argue for acceptance of natural complexion as an asset and identity marker.
Every day young people follow motivational speakers, quotes and reader friendly write-ups that keep them in their comfort zone. To feel that what they are doing is right. How about trying to be your biggest motivation, by being true to who you are. Trying to copy another form in the name of “njangsa”, “ingre”, skin bleach or what some say “I just want to tone up”. It is an influence of low self esteem and no amount of motivation can pull you out of that depression you are sinking into.
While watching a Ghanaian TV channel three years ago, I stumbled on a music video by Mzvee in a song titled “Natural Girl”. I immediately downloaded the video and it is still a part of my playlist today.
Let me define this thing again; Skin bleaching, lightening or whitening refers to the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten the skin or provide an even skin color by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. In a number of African countries between 25-80% of women regularly use skin whitening products. Why Africa? What happened to the love we had for our unique dark skin complexion? Don’t we love how unique we standout wherever we go?
Personally, my complexion is one of my greatest assets and yes it gives me the necessary attention. I equally get a lot of nicknames because of my nature and I love them; black beauty, Nordiste, Blackie, Darkie etc. To some they may feel low about this but for me I am not worried about these nicknames. I was also called “long head” and it made me sad, but it did not make me cut my head off. A lot of people even ask me if I am from Ghana, Benin, Senegal or Kenya. Funny enough I am Cameroonian and from a tribe where darker skin is an identity to my people (a majority).
The moment people know you to be naturally darker skin and suddenly we start seeing “cocacola-fanta” mixture on your feet, toes, fingers, elbows, I bet you will not stand discussions especially in the quarters because this. The annoying part is we do this to meet up with the high and mighty, boyfriends, girlfriends and sugar zaddies, then end up using the cheap, I mean very cheap skin bleaching agents.
Dear young people the girls you see on television, social media very spotless and almost like a tasty snack, the use expensive shit! that is for those who actually have the money though the side effects are the same. Meanwhile note that there is the existence of makeup and editing apps. Don’t be fooled, just chill.
The statement “you are what you eat” is exceptionally true to an extent. Money is also a natural bleach, but if you don’t have it don’t kill yourself. What you need to do is eat healthy, less garbage and snacks, less stress and worry, more smiles, focused minds; positive peer pressure and meditation. If you really do admire makeup feel free to do it, it is equally good to reduce the frequency and use the right products and colours.
Mind you skin bleach has no health benefit and has been linked to a number of serious side effects. It has been banned in a few African countries like South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory coast and Rwanda. People with vitiligo overcome the intimidation and love the loss of skin colour naturally in patches.
When I had my son, I had to deliver him through a caesarean section, when I left the post OP ward to the CS ward to my greatest surprise I saw much older babies 4-8 weeks old babies. My mother curiously asked one of the women why she was still in the hospital and she said, her wound keeps opening up, the flesh was too weak to hold the stitches. So it was allowed open to heal naturally! And it was the same for the other women.
I almost collapsed thinking I had to go through the same thing. It was during the doctors round that I overheard him shouting at one of the women and giving her a formula for a particular pap mixture she had to eat till her wound heals. Imagine a mixture of fried corn, groundnut raw and fried, crayfish and limestone to be eaten with no sugar.
If you ever feel less about your looks because of your skin colour, think about the following people; with all the money they have, changing their complexion has never happened. Sandra Nankoma, Akon, Idris Elba, Allen Menget, Lupita Nyongo, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, Yetide Badaki. The list is unending.
I hope that this goes a long way to kill that urge to use skin bleach, talk to that friend or relative, we respect your bodies you can do anything you want, remember to give your health a priority. It’s a Cameroonian to “soulever les kabas” how about we “soulever our thoughts and copy best practices” during this year’s celebration of the woman. Do well to listen to Taurus Riley-Just the way you are and Mzvee-Natural Girl.
P.S: Skin bleaching is impersonating.
Munge Sylvie
Written in early 2020, the piece speaks to a moment when skin-lightening practices remained deeply embedded in African beauty culture despite growing counter-narratives celebrating darker skin. The writer addresses a specifically Cameroonian and West African context where colonial legacies, social pressure, and the influence of social media and television had intensified anxiety about complexion among young women.
The essay's strength lies in its refusal of abstract moralizing in favour of grounded, lived testimony—the caesarean scar story and personal nicknames ground the argument in embodied reality. It remains urgent because the drivers it names—low self-esteem, peer pressure, the false images of social media—have only deepened; the piece offers not shame but clarity about what skin bleaching actually is: a symptom, not a solution.