Teen in hijab aims to be TikTok ‘Afro-influencer’
Rising TikTok star Aida Diouf Mbengue stands in front of the Duomo in Milan on March 16. (AP Photo / Antonio Calanni)
In Milan’s chic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a spacious mall that would be jammed with shoppers were it not for the pandemic, a young Black woman wearing a violet hijab and matching lipstick propped up her phone and moved her hips to a tinny-sounding beat coming from the device.
Aida Diouf Mbengue, 19, was recording a TikTok video to share with her 345,000 followers. She is making a name for herself as a self-styled “Afro-influencer,” one of a group of young people of African origin who have come together in Italy to try to increase their social media clout.
Their campaign is not just about views and followers, Mbengue said. With her posts, she is trying to destroy stereotypes.
