An Ivorian activist with the association Fondygender, campaigning for the cause of LGBT+ people in Ivory Coast, Canel began to feel like a girl at the age of 4. She says: "It hasn't been easy for me, and in any case, nothing has ever been easy for me, especially in my neighbourhood, where I was called a 'genie' - neither a man nor a woman - and at school. That gave me the courage to speak out."

In 2022, she spoke openly about her identity as a transgender woman on an Ivorian television channel. That same year, she met Nadia Beugré and took part in workshops before being chosen for Prophétique (on est déjà né.es).