The artistic tattoo seizes the African continent. But marking a black or very dark skin can be a problem ... and be "torn off" just as much.

Trend: tattoo, a question of epidermis?

Mandela, by tattoo artist Tiplo Tsotetsi. © Élodie Ratsimbazafy

The artistic tattoo seizes the African continent. But marking a black or very dark skin can be problematic ... and get "torn off" just as much.
They seem clueless. Lying on a fence, Océane and Myriam, 20 years old, scrutinize with disillusioned hundreds of tattoo artists and tattooed wandering tattoo Mondial, the trade show held in early March in Paris. "There are only whites, coward Océane, French of Beninese origin with the ebony epidermis. We are looking for a tattoo artist who knows the specifics of our skin, but we have not found any yet. "
Ink lovers are more and more numerous on the planet. In France alone, according to the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop), they would be 7 million, or 2 million more than six years ago. In the USA ? According to the Pew Research Center, 45 million ... No figure exists for the African continent, but dozens of salons have opened in recent years. And South Africa plays the role of precursor, with a specific event, the South African International Tattoo Convention, whose second edition, gathering 80 international artists, was held at the end of March.

Five thousand years ago

But in Africa it is less a breakthrough than a resurgence. Infrared scans carried out on Egyptian mummies preserved in the British Museum (in London) have indeed made a surprising discovery. Figurative tattoos (a wild bull, a mouflon) and S-shaped signs were found on the upper arm of a man and the shoulder of a woman living in the Nile delta, respectively. more than five thousand years. Despite the expansion of Sunni Islam, which prohibits the alteration of the body, and Christian currents, including evangelicals, who see it as a sin, traditional tattoos are still secular today in different parts of the continent.
In North Africa, this is the case among Berbers. In sub-Saharan Africa, some ethnic groups, including the Fulani, tattoo the lips, contours of the gums and mouth with small wooden needles. Many ethnic groups also accompany the ritual scarification of "tattoos", using soot or other blackish components. But the drawings that bloom today on the epidermis of new generations are mostly unrelated to ritual or ethnic marks.
In South Africa,

"Mandela joined the most popular personalities as tattoo models after his death

The Salon Abidjan piercing tattoo, in Treichville, thus inscribes in the skin of its customers roses, larks, the face of Johnny Hallyday ... even motifs of Japanese or Polynesian inspiration. In South Africa, Mandela joined after his death the most requested personalities as models of tattooing (with Jesus Christ and Marilyn Monroe)

A tattoo and a pendant of Christ. © ARNULFO FRANCO / AP / SIPA

Difficulties on black skins

Still, being tattooed when you have dark skin is not so obvious. Christopher Kibali, 26 years old, jet black skin, met in the alleys of the World tattoo, can testify. "When we look at models, they are always photographed on skin or white sheet, notes the French of Congolese origin. And facing the final rendering on very black skin like mine, we can have big disappointments. They do not react at all the same. Some tattoo artists refused to tattoo me, perhaps for this reason, another charcuter me by emphasizing the features, planting the needle deeper for the drawing to appear ... I had blood everywhere. "

"In France, there is no tattoo course on black or dark skin

Raising his T-shirt, he points to his chest, pointing to the contours of an owl that appears in relief more because of the blisters of the scars than thanks to the colored pigments. In France, hygiene training in a specialized school is now compulsory for a tattoo artist to practice. But as we recognize at the French School of Tattoo, in the Paris suburbs, "there is no course dedicated to tattooing on black or dark skin".
Cécile Djunga also has disillusioned. This petulant 28-year-old actress from Angolan and Congolese origin presents this year the new Tattoo Cover show on the TFX channel, an entertainment program in which professionals try to cover shameful tattoos (the drawing of a small penis with arms ) or misfires (a spider that seems to have been designed by an artist with Parkinson's disease).

"My tattoo artist friends Amy Mymouse and Marty Early, renowned professionals, told me to forget the color! On my skin, we would not have seen anything, "says actress Cécile Djunga

Cécile Djunga has herself been tattooed for five years. "I first tattooed a simple sentence:" Believe in yourself and fly ", and then I wanted more, a large drawing in color representing three black women, one in wax, l Another dressed as a singer of the Supremes ... But my tattoo artist friends Amy Mymouse and Marty Early, renowned professionals, told me to forget the color! On my skin, we would not have seen anything. "

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In fact, during a tattoo, the ink passes under the epidermis, then appears by "transparency", but some pigments are more or less visible depending on the color of the skin. "You have to imagine putting a colored drawing behind a tinted window," summarizes the Californian Jorell Elie. His South African and Korean origins make him one of the very few dark-skinned tattooists at the Mondial du tattoo.

A risk of scarring

And white inks? "They can disappear or become brown," says his fellow African-American Brandon Flores. It must be said that it is better to use a narrow palette of bright colors, strong, a powerful red rather than a pale pink, for example. And after that, you have to do the test. Myself, I can not say exactly what reaction will make a color that I have not tried yet. On very black skin, only black passes. "

"A black must finally be even more attentive to the person who will take care of his skin ",highlights Cécile Djunga

Another bad news, dark skin is more likely to show keloids, scars thick, unsightly that can sometimes cause itching. "And you have to make sure to moisturize, especially dark skin, once you get a tattoo," says Jorell Elie. In my case, I spend lotion every day! The beautiful drawings on the skin of the professional leave a little hope.
Cécile Djunga, she studies a black and white version of the tattoo she dreamed of, with the three female characters ... and takes precautions. "A black must finally be even more attentive to the person who will take care of his skin, warns the young woman. You have to go to a real tattooist: someone who has a salon, who does not work from home. You have to take the time to look at your work, to ask questions ... and to think about what you want to keep on your skin. And laughing, "Too many girls end up with the same tattoo inspired by Rihanna! "