Express yourself: Ivorians celebrate West Africa’s Mardi Gras with costumes and festivities

Men from the ethnic Aboure people of Ivory Coast dressed up as a bride and groom pose for a photograph during the 38th Edition of the POPO Carnival. The carnival in Bonoua is the Ivorian’s version of Mardi Gras and runs for a week in the east of Abidjan. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in the West African nation, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not recognised by the government and afforded the same legal protections available to straight couples. Popo translates as ‘mask,’ allowing participants to design their own bright and colourful decorations for the parades.