Sara Coulibaly is working tirelessly to help young Black children see themselves represented in the toys they play with. Motivated by the lack of darker-skinned dolls, Coulibaly founded Naima Dolls. Through her company, Coulibaly employs 20 young women and leads them in bringing a variety of Black dolls to children across the Ivory Coast. She hopes that the increased representation will empower young kids to dream bigger.
“I want them to be conscious of the fact that they are beautiful, that their culture is beautiful and their culture is rich,” Coulibaly said.
Producing 150,000 dolls annually, Naima Dolls is a fast-rising company. In the years to come, she hopes to bring the production of her dolls to the Ivory Coast and create more jobs. Ultimately, Coulibaly aims to have children see Black dolls as the norm and not the exception.
“We got used to white people’s dolls and now we can see Black skin, the African woman," she added,
“That is what I liked and that is why I came to have a look.”
Coulibaly and Naima Dolls are gearing up for the holiday season. To spread the holiday cheer, dozens of children received free dolls and teams from Naima Dolls. Expect to see a skillfully crafted doll under a Christmas tree near you in the years to come.
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