Mar 19, 2019
Hair.
This is The Salooni. An art project curated by 4 Ugandan women exploring black hair in its many forms and its historical views till date. I quote: ‘through short film, live art performances, theatre and photography, we present the ways in which historical memory and ways of being are weaved into the nap of black peoples’ hair.’
Their names: Kampire Bahana, Darlyne Komukama, Aida Mbowa, Gloria Wavamunno.
The photo series above which will be dotted throughout this post explores hair in three segments; the past, the present and the future.
On Saturday 1st December, 2018, graced with a free ticket to a TedxEuston event. I had the honour of seeing Aida and Darlyne speak on being enough. With anecdotes from their childhood with and without hair in Uganda and beyond, honestly, I don’t know how to explain how I felt. They were phenomenal, breaking down hair as a cultural network, weighed with being something more as well as hair being a means of profound self-acceptance, it was incredible. I was lucky enough to bump into Aida after, and I don’t know how but next thing I know, I’m crying in her arms and saying thank you.
I revisited their talk last night and their photo series and I decided to swallow all my doubts and what if’s and put this out, finally. I have been meaning to talk about hair for a very long time. I was tweeting about this and running my mouth about starting this series and that exploring hair and my experiences (both newly discovered and otherwise) with my hair or lack thereof. Visions of its link to femininity and worth and value. The weight of hair as an integral part of identity and the effects of doing away or doing with it in its various forms.
I have chosen this platform to write this because I will not be plagued with thoughts of blog-keeping or website design or otherwise, here this post (and hopefully more) is all there is. It is 9:49am and I’m trying not to cry because I cannot believe I have finally, finally spat this out.
This isn’t the insanely great piece of writing I feel I’m expected to produce but it’s something, it’s a start and I’m grateful for this. This probably has mistakes but I’m not going to reread this.
This is dedicated to my mum as one of my biggest supporters of writing, a woman who has been pushing me to write and explore different avenues for nearly a year now.
The Salooni: https://thesalooni.com/
TedxEuston 2018: On Being Enough
