Mirror, mirror: A glimpse into Rohingya women's use of thanaka paste on their faces
In Cox Bazaar of southern Bangladesh are Rohingya girls and women who decorate their cheeks with swirls of yellow paste made from ground thanaka tree bark
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Rohingya Muslim women and girls in the refugee camps of southern Bangladesh decorate their cheeks with swirls of yellow paste made from ground tree bark. Thanaka is a type of sun protection that dates back centuries. Women in the camps say that the cooling paste leaves them with a feeling of normalcy. Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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A 6-year-old Rohingya refugee girl, Nur Kayas, lathered in thanaka paste at the Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. The paste, made from the bark of the thanaka tree is sold in Cox Bazaar. Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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Rozia (10) and Rokiya (11), two Rohingya refugee girls apply thanaka paste to protect their skin from the heat. The paste is applied to the face in various patterns and dried into a protective layer. While it is used medicinally elsewhere in Asia, women in Myanmar also use it as a cosmetic. Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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The 13-year-old Juhara Begum, for whom the paste is a comfort amid a gruelling life in the camps says, “I can live without eating rice but I cannot live without makeup.” Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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Rumana (10) also applies paste to her face. Some women in the camp also apply thanaka to ward off insects. Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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