Remembering Katoucha Niane, The Guinean Supermodel Who Rose To Fame In The 80s

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Someone once said: “Fear blocks the intelligent understanding of life”. He explained that to protect ourselves from fear, we have to expose ourselves to our deepest fears. He was certainly right.

Life is difficult. It has a lot of ups and downs. Some of them can be avoided, but others are unavoidable. And when that happens, how we deal with them becomes extremely important.

Today, we’re going to talk about a unique woman. A woman who had to face many challenges, none of which she feared. Difficulties may appear insurmountable to “ordinary” people. However, this woman used them as a propellant to reach the pinnacle she had most likely always desired.

Let’s talk about the famous top model and the muse of the brand Yves Saint-Laurent : Katoucha Niane.

Her birth

Katoucha Namsir Niane was born in Guinea on October 23, 1960. She is the daughter of African historian, writer, archaeologist, and intellectual Djibril Tamsir Niane. Her childhood was not easy growing up in a conservative family. Indeed, several acts considered barbaric, cruel, inhuman, and savage will haunt her until her death in 2008.

Drama – excision – sexual abuse – expatriation: a very eventful life

She had a tragedy in her childhood, a true tragedy. She had what is known as “excision” when she was only nine years old. Exision is a practice of mutilating the female genital area for those who are unaware. It refers to the complete or partial removal of the external female genitalia or any other female genital lesion.

She will carry the weight of this drama with her for the rest of her life, having been traumatized by it. A drama that she depicts very well in her book entitled “Dans ma chair”, translated into English, “Into my flesh”.

One of her uncles sexually abused her when she was twelve years old. Her family decided to leave the country that same year and relocate to Dakar, Senegal. Amy, her baby girl, was born when she was seventeen, and she decided to relocate to Paris.

Beginning of her career : legacy

She is hired as a model cabin at Lanvin only a few months after her arrival. In 1980, Katoucha Niane, dubbed “Princess Peule,” saw her career take off. She had recently been hired by Thierry Mugler, and many other fashion designers flocked to her.

Katoucha Niane reaches the pinnacle of her career in 1987. That same year, she signed with Yves Saint-Laurent, the “master and precursor” of fashion. She was the muse for Yves Saint-Laurent until 1992.

Other successes

Katoucha Niane founded her own company in 1994, in collaboration with the wealthy Russian businessman Sergei Mazarov. She established the brand Katoucha.

He was shot nine times on the landing of his duplex in Paris for reasons that remain unknown. Some believe it was the work of the Russian mafia, while others believe it was a simple account settlement.

She announced her retirement from the catwalk in 2001 and became a judge on M6’s “Top Model” in 2005. The following year, Katoucha launched “Ebène Top Model” in Dakar to give other African beauties a chance to break into the fashion industry.

Katoucha Niane made her acting debut in the 2007 film Ramata, directed by Léandre-Alain Baker and starring him in the title role. In September 2007, she released her autobiography, “Dans ma chair,” in which she discusses her excision, as previously stated.

Her entire life has been dedicated to fighting this mutilation. As a result, she founded the KPLCE (Katoucha pour la Lutte contre l’Excision) organization, which aims to support victims and educate excitors about why this act is barbaric and cruel.

Her untimely death

Unfortunately, the star died under mysterious circumstances. On January 31, 2008, she fell into the Seine while returning from a nighttime party, attempting to reach the barge moored near the Alexandre III bridge, where she lived.

Katoucha became involved in the fight against the ancestral practice of female genital mutilation – excision – at the end of her modeling career. She has certainly demonstrated, through her struggle, that her strength and determination can do much more for the world.

Katoucha’s life was probably not as glamorous and lighthearted as the world that idolizes her, but her influence and contribution to the world of fashion is undeniable.

 

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