Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

Skin Whitening Creams Erasing All Traces of Dark Skin In Africa

Skin Whitening Lightening in Africa

Light, bright and damn near white, skin whitening creams and soaps is popular in Africa among men and women despite cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and mercury poisoning health risks.

Skin Whitening Group of Friends in Africa, for centuries there has been an image that if you are pale or whiter, it means you are pretty.

Skin Whitening Creams In Africa Used For Erasing All Traces of Dark Skin

Mercury is one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern, however, skin whitening and lightening creams and soaps are a billion-dollar business in Africa. For centuries there has been an image that if you have pale or whiter skin it means you are prettier or more handsome than you are with dark skin.

The World Health Organization has reported that Nigerians are the highest users of skin whitening and lightening products; 77 percent of Nigerian women use the products on a regular basis. They are followed by Togo 59 percent, South Africa 35 percent, Senegal 27 percent, and Mali 25 percent women reported to use skin lightening products on a regular basis. Studies have found that men are also bleaching their skin.

How skin whitening and lightening creams and soaps work

Mercury is a common ingredient found in skin lightening soaps and creams. Mercury salts inhibit the formation of melanin, resulting in a lighter skin tone. Skin lightening soaps and creams are commonly used in certain African among dark-skinned populations. Skin lightening products come in different forms, including soaps and creams; the soap is often sold as antiseptic soap. These products are supposed to be applied to the skin to dry overnight. It is reported that some women use skin-lightening products for as long as 20 years. The main adverse effect of the inorganic mercury contained in skin lightening soaps and creams is kidney damage. Mercury in skin lightening products may also cause skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring.

A story by the BBC on Congolese hair stylist Jackson Marcelle says “He has been using special injections to bleach his skin for the past 10 years.” Each injection lasts for six months. Marcelle - known in this busy community as Africa's Michael Jackson - says his mother used to apply creams on him when he was young in order to make him appear "less black".

Black mans hands

The World Health Organization has reported that Nigerians are the highest users of skin-lightening products"I like white people. Black people are seen as dangerous; that's why I don't like being black. People treat me better now because I look like I'm white," he adds.

"I pray every day and I ask God, 'God why did you make me black?' I don't like being black. I don't like black skin," Jackson Marcelle says.

Ugly Dark Skin 

Psychologists say there are also underlying reasons why people bleach their skin - but low self-esteem and, to some degree self-hate, are a common thread. Entrenched in the minds of many Africans from a young age is the adage "if it's white, it's all right", a belief that has chipped away at the self-esteem of millions. Until this changes, no amount of official bans or public information campaigns will stop people risking serious damage to their health in the pursuit of what they think is beauty.

Mercury containing skin lightening products are hazardous to health and as a result have been officially banned in many countries throughout Africa. In 2015 Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire banned all skin-whitening creams and lotions over fears that the cosmetic products can cause long-term health problems. Côte d'Ivoire is not the first country to impose a ban or take action against the products. In South Africa, products containing more than two percent hydroquinone have been illegal since the 1980s. However, mercury-containing skin lightening products are still widely available on the internet. Also, these products are sometimes illegally smuggled into Africa and sold at local markets in towns and villages. These soaps and creams may contain about 1 - 10 percent of mercury, and just 1 percent of mercury levels pose a serious health hazard.

Skin Whitening Creams Erasing All Traces of Dark Skin In Africa

The amount or concentration of mercury in a product may be labeled on the packaging or in the ingredient list.

However, companies selling products that contain mercury, do not always list it as an ingredient. Names to look for include · Mercury · Hg · Mercuric Iodide · Mercurous Chloride · Ammoniated Mercury · Amide Chloride Of Mercury · Quicksilver · Cinnabaris · Mercury Sulfide · Hydrargyri Oxydum Rubrum · Mercury Oxide · Mercury Iodide · May Say “Poison”; Directions to avoid contact with silver, gold, rubber, and aluminum

Did you know? Hg is the chemical symbol of Mercury. Mercury is contained in many products, including: Batteries, Measuring devices such as thermometers and barometers, Electric switches and relays in equipment, Lamps (including some types of light bulbs), Dental amalgam for dental fillings, Skin-lightening products and other cosmetics, and Pharmaceuticals.


Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
  2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
  3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
  4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
  5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
  6. About African Night Running


Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

This Week’s Best Posts and Pages

Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone

Image
Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone Africa Youth Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone African proverb teaches love, security and recognition should be at the heart of family life. Teaching Lesson African Proverb Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture 7-29-2016 Children need leading in the right direction. When one hits you with a stone, you do not hit others with a piece of cotton. It is easy to recognize when a child needs food when they are hungry and warm clothes when they are cold. Yet, a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be as obvious. Children need leading in the right direction.  When children grow up without love they look for love and acceptance wherever they can find it because they never experienced love in a healthy way. Abuse can disrupt a child's emotional development. Abuse can derail a child's emotional development  More teaching lesson African saying
Learn More

Using Amen and Ashe or Ase

Image
Usage of Amen and Ashe or Ase Ashe to Amen learn about the custom of using the words Ashe and Amen historically. Where did the word Amen and Ashe come from why is it said and what does it mean? In Judaism, 3,500 years old and Christian religions 2,000 years old, Amen, means may it be so. In the African Yoruba language among the Yoruba people whose culture is as old as time, Ashe or Ase means may it be so. Ase or Ashe means power, commandment, and authority, the ability to make whatever one says happen from the spiritual to the physical realm. In the Yoruba language, Ashe is omnipresent spiritual energy. Followers of Judaism and Christian religions use the word Amen. It is the word utilized to end prayers as an affirmation for the requests to be provided by God. Yoruba is as old as time, Ashe refers to the life force within all living things, the spark that animates life. It is used as a term used in the same manner as Amen at the end of appeals and prayers as an affirmati
Learn More

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

Image
How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
Learn More

Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

Image
African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
Learn More

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

Support African History and Culture

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet are dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing African history and heritage celebrating 14 years of service in 2021. Share and support in the pride of being part of an important cultural and educational resource.


Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture

Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

More LOVE from Africa to Read About

Tasting African History Through Street Food African proverbs are to speech what salt is to food What is a person from Africa called