Sewing the threads of hope. In her Goma workshop, stylist Flore Mfuanani Nsukula is putting the final touches to her latest collection. “Through art, all 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.” A conflict in eastern DRC has gone on for decades, with more than 100 armed groups fighting for control of valuable mineral resources while others protect their communities and has triggered an exodus of refugees. The Liputa fashion show took place on Saturday (24 June) evening, its 9th edition. Organizers said it’s an opportunity to deliver a message of peace and peaceful coexistence during a period of heightened tensions. In addition to highlighting DRC’s fashion industry, the show also aims to promote culture in all its diversity, and to promote the importance of women in industry and life in general. “We presented these collections, not only to sell the images of these creators, but to show that in Africa, in the DRC, the areas that are considered ‘red,’ we can do things there that we see in other countries that have peace,” says organizer David Ngulu.
SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS