Try GOLD - Free
Archivists celebrate music and fashion in Ivory Coast
The Guardian
|August 25, 2025
Shortly after its launch in 2020, the Instagram-based project Archives Ivoire received a boost when the French-Malian superstar Aya Nakamura reshared a meme it had made from the series Nafi, one of Francophone Africa's most beloved TV shows, to her millions of followers.
In the years since, Archives Ivoire, which documents the female aesthetic in Ivorian pop culture, has amassed 85,000 followers, started hosting cinema club sessions in Abidjan and the neighbouring town of Grand-Bassam, and launched a successful sideline in merchandise.
Much of the archive is dedicated to the 2000s aesthetic of low-rise, boot-cut jeans with chain belts, popularised in parts of Africa by Nollywood actors inspired by pop stars such as Destiny's Child and Christina Aguilera. Ivorian stars also rocked the style and built a cult following in Francophone Africa.
This story is from the August 25, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Wightman's silver a 'perfect fairytale' with surprise twist
When Jake Wightman sat on the bus to the 1500m heats at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, he told himself that if he failed to make it through he was done.
3 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
PM banks on £150bn investment to placate critics of Trump visit
Keir Starmer sought to navigate a politically treacherous state visit by Donald Trump by announcing £150bn of US investment in the UK last night, while the president was kept safely in Windsor Castle's confines.
4 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
France braces for a day of strikes amid fears over new PM's budget
France is braced for one of its biggest strike days for years as trade unions make a rare show of unity to pressure the new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to rethink budget cuts and act on wages, pensions and public services.
3 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
Art review Epic exhibition by pre-eminent painter of black American life
Biting, funny, astonishing, difficult, surprising, erudite and hugely ambitious, Kerry James Marshall's The Histories is the largest show of the black American's work ever held in Europe.
3 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
'It feels unrealistic' Why Ruth Curtice is ready to tell Labour hard truths on tax
'She clearly has to fix the problem. I think it's one thing to come back twice. We don't want to be here a third time.\"
5 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
Raising the bar How poor harvests have sent chocolate prices soaring
Whether it's a favourite bar, biscuit or indulgent hot drink, feeding a chocolate habit is becoming increasingly expensive. Prices were up 15.4% in the year to August, according to the latest cost of living snapshot, although overall UK inflation was unchanged at 3.8% last month.
2 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
MSPs scrap 'not proven' verdict as part of law reform bill
The Scottish verdict of “not proven” - a global legal anomaly thought to be a key factor in the country’s low conviction rate for rape and sexual assault - has been abolished.
1 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
Burns gets slice of luck as title hangs in balance
Rain and bad light stalked the Oval as Nottinghamshire and Surrey inched to a denouement.
1 min
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
Selling sport as a tool for peace can create its own battlefield
High fives all round at Hamas high command. The triumphant clink of Gaza Cola tins pings across the bunker.
4 mins
September 18, 2025
The Guardian
Pitch and roles Scilly storm can't keep RSC tour off far-flung stages
'Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!\" King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2.
3 mins
September 18, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size