VIDEO. Feminist icon in Ivory Coast, Laetita Ky sculpts her hair to fight patriarchy

Art and politics, an inseparable duo? For Laetitia Ky, it comes naturally. In recent years, the 26-year-old Ivorian has chosen to put her hair in the service of feminism. Sexual violence, taboo rules, beauty standards… This talented activist talks about her struggle through hair sculptures that she shares on social networks. A spectacular art that miraculously violates the orders of the patriarchy.

Followed by over 6 million people on TikTok, Laetitia Ky “the new icon of feminism in the Ivory Coast”, reports Brut. At the age of 26, this artist from Abidjan multiplies the artistic and committed proposals on her social networks using her hair as the raw material.

In a video interview for Raw, the young woman says she wanted to model her hair after discovering a photo album of African women’s hairstyles before colonization. Inspired by their beauty, she arms herself with thread and decides to post a photo of herself on Instagram where her hair has taken the shape of two hands. The success is there and Laetitia Ky continues to dig this hair art. From publication to publication, she receives messages from black women thanking her for their “restore self-confidence” through his sculptures. The young artist understands the scope of her art and decides to turn it into a political and feminist weapon.

Sexual harassment, cult of the perfect body, division of household chores… The artist does not neglect any aspect of gender inequality and hopes to challenge feminism, not always “understood by men in Africa”, according to her. Laetitia Ky also entrusts her definition of feminism to Raw“Feminism isn’t about war against men, it’s really about allowing women to live the life they want to live.”

Discover this committed artist by watching the video of Raw

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