
The Documentary Podcast
The Fifth Floor: Tackling Nigeria's skin bleaching problem
April 26, 2025
24 minutes
Available for over a year
According to the World Health Organisation, 77% of Nigerian women have used skin-lightening creams. When BBC Hausa’s Madina Maishanu decided to look into this, she uncovered an even more worrying trend: mothers using potentially harmful products on their babies. Madina spoke to the campaigners trying to stop these practices. Plus, how human activities and climate change are threatening shea trees in Uganda with Njoroge Muigai from BBC Africa.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)