Touray made this statement before members of the National Assembly during the report of the select committee on Health, Women, Children, Disaster, Refugees, and Humanitarian Relief on Skin Bleaching Prohibition Bill 2020.
According to him, it is high time Africans valued themselves to see life as not about beautiful dresses rather life is based on values.
“These are values that make a man and it is high time for Africans to respect their own values.”
“During my short stay in the U.S., I have never seen a white lady bleach to look black but here we have our African sisters and brothers eroding their skins, which are very unfortunate as Africans,” he stated.
Hon. Touray added that the skin bleaching issue beats his imagination as an African because some people will tell you I’m dark, not knowing that they are insulting themselves and giving themselves derogatory remarks as hardly will a white man or woman use such derogative words against him or herself.
Looking at our constitution, the way we are made as human beings, the best Artist and best of the best is God who created us, exalted Himself, praise Himself as the best Artist, but yet people are eroding their skins and belittling themselves by bleaching their skins.
According to him, this is a cause for concern which ought to be addressed and if need be, a national conversation be conducted to deal with the pros and cons of this skin bleaching issue.
He further added that there are certain things one does in the society that sociologists or psychologists refer to as social deviant and will categorise the individual as someone who deviates from the norms and values of society.
“Both Islam and Christianity speak against skin bleaching; that which is bad is bad and which is good is good.” He added that is the law of nature. “When it comes to bleaching, there is no two way traffic but only one way traffic and that is skin bleaching is bad, odd and dangerous,” he concluded.
