He may not be the only one, but in any case, he is one of the few male makeup artists in Bangui. Djibril Marvin Gueye, known as Djibou, develops his art and his clientele via social networks. After years of work, he was able to open his salon on Avenue Barthélémy-Boganda
With our special correspondent in Bangui, Francois Mazet
The clock is ticking, the procession and the town hall are waiting for him. Ida is getting married this Saturday. But in the meantime, wedged in the back of her chair, she prepares herself under Djibou’s brushstrokes. ” I chose him because I’ve known him for a while. He had to deal with several people I know for ceremonies, and the hair and makeup were fine, so my choice fell on him. I have noticed that men are getting into this in Bangui and that they often do it better than women. Besides, I didn’t give him any model, because I know that when he looks at me, he will know what looks good on me. ».
“ Here, I’m putting on the foundation, it has to take on its color well. It brings out the eyes well and it brings out the eyes well too “, explains Djibou.
“ It’s Djibou anyway »
Gloria, she waits her turn, she comes to get a new wig. She is not surprised by the success of her childhood friend. ” For our evenings, our outings, even a simple make-up, he always does everything. It’s Djibou anyway ».
A long-standing passion, going against gender stereotypes, which through hard work, he ended up getting those around him accepted. ” It fascinated me and I loved doing it since I was very young. I learned on the job. At the beginning, it wasn’t easy, with my parents and everything… And that’s it, little by little, since we like to do what we want. I fought, I didn’t give up at all. Frankly, it’s a pride today for me, for my parents, for my clients, for my friends “, assures the make-up artist.
To progress, Djibou is inspired by what he sees on social networks and uses platforms himself to make his work known.
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