Niger's fashion designer Alphadi named UNESCO Artist for Peace

Niger’s fashion designer Sidahmed Alphadi Seidnaly has been designated as UNESCO’s Artist for Peace.

At a ceremony at the organization’s headquarters, Alphadi was recognized for his “commitment to culture and development at the service of peace and human dignity, for his contribution to the promotion of tolerance and for his dedication to the ideals of the organization”.

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Described as the “magician of the desert”, Alphadi was born in Timbuktu, Mali, in 1957. He launched the first International Festival of African fashion in the Tiguidit desert under the auspices of UNESCO in 1998.

This is aside the Alphadi Foundation he set up to empower women and children in the Sahara region.

Alphadi’s work as UNESCO Artist for Peace will be to transform the International festival of African fashion(FIMA) and ensure that it is held in other African countries.