Desire to look 'white' leaves our black backsides terribly exposed

There seems to be a craze among Africans, especially women, to lighten their skin today. In Nairobi, for example, the common joke is that one cannot tell which woman is ‘brown’ and which one is ‘yellow’ due to a long and rigorous relationship with creams and tablets. What is even more shocking is that not even the constant warnings about the dangers of skin lightening creams and procedures will put us down; we must achieve that supposedly adorable and ever elusive skin complexion.

In Kenyan parlance, the concept of skin lightening has even got a name – “kutoa tint.” There is a misconception that light skin looks better, is more beautiful, than dark skin, and that light skinned people get better opportunities in life – a job, a spouse, or social recognition.