A Fashion Exhibition In Congo Aims To Promote Harmony And Creativity In A Conflict-affected Region

Congo, Goma (AP)  A clothes designer in the Congo views the pinning, stitching, and ironing of her most recent collection as a means of communicating with the rest of the world.
Flore Mfuanani Nsukula declares in her Goma workshop that “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.”

As numerous armed factions battle for control of lucrative mineral resources, there has been conflict in the eastern Congo for decades. Mass murders occur often, and the unrest has led to a refugee exodus.

The ninth Liputa fashion show was conducted on Saturday. According to the organizers, this was a chance to advocate peace and peaceful cooperation throughout Africa.

“Africans must unify as one. Although we do have a very diverse range of cultures, Délia Ndougou, a fashion designer from Cameroon, emphasized that this diversity must help us come together. She displayed a collection that was based on the flag of her country.

“We really wanted to convey joy in the clothes, peace in the clothes, very cheerful styles, a question of making the world smile,” remarked Kinshasa-based creative stylist Chadrac Lumumba.
Designers, models, and artists from Cameroon, Senegal, Burundi, France, the United States, and other countries participated in the Goma event.

Nsukula said after her new collection made its runway premiere, “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 visitors show their collections who came from the Central African Republic, Cameroon, the USA, and France. That implies that there is comfort and optimism that things will become better in due course.

The program aims to generate a more favorable perception of the continent in addition to spotlighting Congo’s fashion sector.
According to the collection’s organizer, David Ngulu, “We showed these collections not only to promote the creators’ ideals but to demonstrate that in Africa, in the (Congo), the areas that are deemed “red,” we can carry out the same activities as in other peaceful nations.

He stated, “I believe that each creator contributes to love, peace, and coexistence.

Content courtesy of AP & NFH