Magician of the Desert tackles child marriage

Alphadi

On the first day of the International Festival of African Fashion (FIMA) held in Niamey from July 4 to 6, and organized on the sidelines of the African Union Summit, fashion designer, Alphadi, surprised the audience through a social experiment which’s objective is to draw attention to the issue of child marriage in Niger.

Young girls under the age of 15 walked the runway alongside men who are double their age in wedding outfits with the aim of capturing the audience's reaction and engaging conversations around the issue of child marriage in the country.

"I dress women and girls to make them beautiful and value them, not to marry them at 13," he said. "To give the continent a chance to grow, we need to educate girls. Preserving the future of the girl means preserving the future of the whole nation, and we need to give the girl the respect she deserves."

For thousands of children in Niger, childhood is cut short by marriage. UNICEF estimates that around 3 in 4 young girls were married before the age of 18, and 1 in 4 before the age of 15 in the country.

Over the past years, the Government of Niger has made significant efforts to create a protective environment for children.

"Education is one of the best ways to protect against child marriage. Being in school helps a girl to be seen as a child, rather than a woman, and thus not ready for marriage,” said Felicite Tchibindat, UNICEF Representative in Niger.

Also known as the Magician of the Desert, Alphadi is the chairman of the Federation of African Fashion Designers (FAC) and founder of the International Festival of African Fashion (FIMA) which seeks to highlight the variety and diversity of African fashion and put Africa’s creativity on the world map and has allowed African designers to come together on the same stage with other international designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Jean Paul Gaultier and Paco Rabanne.