CityFile
In Togo, a revival of the ancient allure of waist beads
10 years agoTO GO WITH AN AFP STORY BY EMILE KOUTON A Togolese woman looks at waist beads at a stall in Lome on July 20, 2016. In the Togo capital, the fashion for wearing strings of beads around the waist -- an ancient tradition known as 'djonou' in the Gulf of Guinea region -- has made a comeback in recent years. Favoured by young women as an object of both beauty and seduction, the djonou also has a spiritual aspect, guaranteeing the wearer the protection of her ancestors. Some say it can even cure pain in the kidneys. / AFP PHOTO / EMILE KOUTON
Wearing a brightly-coloured wrap-around dress, Sonia ambles through the crowds at a market in a popular neighbourhood of Lome, a string of tiny red beads dangling from her hips.