Popular media personality Toke Makinwa has vehemently criticized the tradition of using tribal marks for identification, calling it a form of cruelty inflicted on children without their consent.
The entrepreneur expressed her views in a series of posts on her X handle on the 16th of June, 2024.
Makinwa recounted a recent encounter with an influencer who had tribal marks, which prompted her to reflect on the enduring practice.
“Today I saw a beautiful influencer with tribal marks and it made me think about the cruelty that culture brought upon us. Marking a child without his/her consent as a means of identification is Evil, I know our parents didn’t know any better but damnnnn!!!!” She wrote.
In her later posts, she, however, emphasized that while she appreciates the beauty of individuals with tribal marks, her main concern is the lack of consent when marking children for identification.
“Thank God it’s abolished now. My grandma had tribal marks too.
“Some on her face and her arms, I wonder what life was like when she was younger walking around with it, though I’m sure a lot of people around her had the same but thank God it’s cancelled now,” she continued.
Also, in response to significant backlash from some X users, Makinwa clarified in another post that her disapproval was rooted in the lack of consent involved, not in the beauty of the marks.
“It’s not the beauty or lack of but the lack of consent. But yeah, I’ve seen a couple of beautiful people with tribal marks,” she explained.