A growing movement of younger people are championing darker, natural looks

There is a buzz among the pupils at Nzeng-Ayong 2 primary school in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. At least among those who use TikTok. Black Choco is here: social media personality, entrepreneur, and a bona fide celebrity. With the fervour of a revivalist preacher, she takes over the lesson. Today’s topic is kwandza , the Gabonese term for skin-lightening.

“Is kwandza good? No! It’s like pouring boiling water on your skin. And we don’t do that, do we?”

Why do people want to become white, she asks the pupils – boys and girls between eight and 12 – before answering the question herself.

“To please other people! Aren’t you proud of your skin? Our skin is our identity!”

She asks a handful of pupils to stand up. “Look at them! Aren’t they beautiful with their dark skin?…