A forthcoming natural hair expo slated for November in Kigali should rouse those of African descent and non-Africans who will happen to be in the city to sample the artistry African hair can inspire. Though the expo will be of a commercial bent, especially promoting beauty products as reported in this newspaper last week, one hopes there will be enough styles on show to whet hirsute interest in the aesthetic expressed on the continent through the ages. One could begin with Rwanda’s Amasunzu traditional hairstyle which stands among some of the most imaginative on the continent. The hairstyle features varied uniquely shaped styles in tapering and whorl-like designs that traditionally signified social status as well as roles and stages in life among men and women. African hairstyles constitute a whole genre of study. Historically, tribal hairstyles not only distinguished different communities but also defined status with regard to age, marital status, fertility, wealth, social rank, religion and spirituality, including death. Today, though not lacking in creativity and fashion, they harbour political, social and economic connotations even as the patterns have continued to be more intricate with each passing generation. One only need recall the Afro hairstyle that emerged in the 1960s during the US civil rights movement as a symbol of rebellion, pride and empowerment, before it spread to Africa and its Diaspora as a fashion statement in the 1970s. Those of us old enough will also recall the plastic comb with metal teeth and a handle designed during that decade shaped like a clenched fist signifying the black power salute. It will also be recalled how the 1980s saw the introduction of the ultra moist curly perm hairstyle, and the ascendance of the weave in 1990s and beyond. The 2000s saw the advent of the natural hair movement that seeks to encourage women of African descent to keep their natural afro-textured hair devoid of straightening and other grooming chemicals. The sum, however, is in the life currently lived with the African hairstyle. It brings to mind the richly narrated hair escapades of Ifemelu, the character in the Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie’s book, Americanah. And, perhaps more humorously, the analysis in the African American comedian Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair. Despite commenting on the African American aesthetic with hilarity and at times unflattering criticism, the documentary resonates in continental Africa while exploring the global multi-billion black hair industry and the science behind chemical relaxers that straighten hair, the profusion of beauty salons, barbershops, and hair styling conventions to get to the root of popular approaches to styling. Still, it is not so much the style for some, but the practicality of it in the varied hairstyles including dreadlocks, buns, knots, and plaited hair. In addition to fashion, there are those who do it purely for ease of hair maintenance. Working patterns in the recent years, especially for office women and even school girls, means there often is less time to spend on hair maintenance. And with African hair’s versatility and resilience with its various textures, it braids innumerable hairstyles that can hold for weeks, only requiring an occasional retouch to preserve its sheen. Then there are those who take offence at the misconception that wearing weaves betrays some insecurity about themselves and, perhaps worse, that one is trying to ape the “white” look as opposed to embracing their naturally kinky and curly hairs. Such women insist that it is about options, changing the style of their tresses in the same way they change their clothes or shoes on a whim as one wishes according to fashion or whatever fancy. That it is a human rights thing what one should fancy to wear or adorn themselves with. The story, however, may not be told without mentioning that adornment with dreadlocks as a cultural movement by many of African descent across the world has not only been a fashion statement but a symbol of Afro-identity and nonconformity to Western norms. There is an Ethiopian connection to the term. More notably, however, it speaks of the origins of the Rastafarian movement deifying the former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and, closer to home, Kenya’s Mau Mau freedom fighters and their dreadlocks and matted hair that came to symbolise the country’s armed struggle from colonial rule.
