Thanaka, a paste that has been used for centuries to protect skin from the sun, is traditionally applied in swirls to the cheeks of Rohingya Muslim women. Itʹs a custom female refugees in Bangladesh are keen to preserve.

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Rufia Begum, aged 9, is among more than 700,000 Rohingya who have taken shelter in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh after fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar last year, the United Nations and human rights groups say.

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A Rohingya refugee woman named Laila Begum, aged 23, poses for a photograph as she wears thanaka paste at Balukhali camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, 31 March 2018.

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Thanaka is produced from the bark of a tree found in the dry central parts of Myanmar. A flat stone called a “kyauk pyin” is used to grind the bark into a milky yellow paste.

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“The make-up is my hobby and it’s our tradition – I can live without eating rice, but I cannot live without makeup,” says Juhara Begum, 13, who arrived in Cox’s Bazar in September last year. Wearing the protective paste on her face, she adds: “I live on top of the hill and it is too hot with the strong sun.”

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Rohingya women believe the use of the paste keeps their skin smooth and cool, safe from exposure to the sun, while also fending off acne.

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The paste is applied to the face in various patterns and dries into a protective layer. While it is used medicinally elsewhere in Asia, women in Myanmar also use it as a cosmetic.

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A Rohingya refugee girl named Senuara Begum, aged 14, poses for a photograph as she wears thanaka paste at Jamtoli camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, 1 April 2018. “I like the makeup,” says Senuara.

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Rohingya girls and women use traditional methods to make the paste from thanaka tree bark which is sold in the camps.

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Zannat Ara, a nine-year-old Rohingya girl, said the paste protected her against the swarms of insects in the Kutupalong refugee camp where she now lives. “I wear make-up to keep my face clean, but also because there are some insects that bite my face. This keeps them away.”

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Razina Begum, aged 16, poses for a photograph as she wears thanaka paste at Jamtoli camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, 1 April 2018. “I use the make up to keep my face clean and fresh. I wear it everyday,” she says.

Author: Clodagh Kilcoyne

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