The salons of Togo are a cornerstone of the West African community. “You go to get your hair done, but it’s also many more things,” says Marie-Celine Agossa, hair dresser and historian. “It’s a place of gossip, to hear the local folklore. A place to share celebration, a place to love.”
Now, it’s also a place for women to seek counseling for their mental health. The Bluemind Foundation’s Heal by Hair program is training local Togolese hairstylists to offer psychological support to clients who appear to be in distress. “In the past, we didn’t really talk about mental health and it was very rare to even be able to go see a psychologist,” says Zoubéida Namoro, one of the day’s models. “It was always seen as something for white people or outsiders but not necessarily for people from Africa. But through being associated with something normal like the salon, it’s now more accessible with less of a stigma.”
Each of the 13 women in this portfolio was chosen for their role in the Togolese community. They include six women trained by the Bluemind Foundation and seven from the community who have either openly spoken about their own struggles or work in the medical field.
For hairstylist Da Silveira Têlè Akouavi, whose mother worked in the same profession, it changed her daily life. “Before when clients talked to me about their worries, I used to direct them to pastors, without seeking to understand the root cause of the problem,” she says. “But now, because of my training, I react differently. And I have noticed so much positive change.”