A Congolese clothes designer uses pinning, stitching, and ironing to communicate as she finishes her latest collection.
“Through art, all the colors that we will express, through our clothes, it will be full of emotions, trying to explain what we are going through in our country,” Flore Mfuanani Nsukula says in her Goma studio.
Multiple armed factions have fought for decades in eastern Congo over mineral riches. Mass massacres and refugee evacuations have occurred frequently.
The eighth Liputa fashion exhibition was conducted on Saturday to promote African peace.
Africans must unify. “We have a very wide cultural diversity, but this diversity must bring us together,” Cameroonian fashion designer Délia Ndougou stated. Her national flag-inspired collection was shown.
“We really wanted to convey joy in the clothes, peace in the clothes, very cheerful styles, a question of making the world smile,” said Kinshasa creative stylist Chadrac Lumumba.
Designers, models, and artists from Cameroon, Senegal, Burundi, France, and the U.S. participated at Goma.
After showing her new collection on the runway, Nsukula remarked, “We think we have sent a message to say that all these people who have come from elsewhere, that means that the situation is already improving.”
“We had collections from the Central African Republic, Cameroon, USA, and France. That implies hope, security, and improvement over time.
The show promotes Africa’s positive image while spotlighting Congo’s fashion sector.
“We presented these collections, not only to sell the visions of these creators, but to show that in Africa, in (Congo), the areas that are considered ‘red,’ we can do things that we see in other countries that have peace,” says organizer David Ngulu.
He said each artist contributed to love, peace, and living together.
