THE AFRO, A HOMAGE TO…

THE AFRO, A HOMAGE TO…

by Abby Oliveira

Over the years the afro hairstyle has been many things, but it has never been shy or humble.

It was the ‘fro that earned us names like ‘jungle-bunny’ and ‘microphone head’, the ‘fro ensured that we stuck out like sore thumbs in the countries we settled in, it seemed to grow to epic proportions just to spite the National Front and assert the fact that it was here to stay. The hardiest hairstyle there ever was!

Of course, certainly in Britain and what few of them there were in Ireland, the ‘fro was the first to suffer when black and mixed-race people began to some degree to internalise the negative effects of racism. People could not change their skin colour (oops, sorry Michael Jackson, I mean besides you), so of course the obvious thing to get the chop was the ‘fro. Millions were murdered, leaving piles of defunct hair on carpets across the country which would easily sort out the problem for billions of Caucasian, ‘follicly challenged’ men. Black children came to hate their hair. The poet Chanje Kunda from Manchester writes (in her poem ‘Hair’) about how she used to tie long scarves to her head, swish them around and imagine they were flowing blonde locks.

All across the world afro hairdressers were becoming dedicated to the elimination of the ‘fro in its virgin form: braids, dredz, twists, the chemical weave (which strikes terror in the heart of all ‘fro lovers!), the number two shave with little palm trees shorn in the back…There’s no denying it’s a versatile sort. Anything to avoid the afro comb (for those of you who’ve never used or been attacked with one, just imagine self-flagellation).

There was a resurgence of virgin afro styles in the 60’s and 70’s. You know, those beautiful massive ones which were perfectly rounded off and not a curl out of place. I think it’s more than just a passing coincidence that this resurgence occurred during a time of great tumult regarding the fight for black civil rights. The ‘fro was taking a stance just like the people, and if it had fingers, it would have stuck them up at the establishment (then poked its eyes out). Of course the capitalist, conservative 80s seemed to then depress the afro so much it went back into retreat, and it has never been seen to the same degree since.

So in this homage to the ‘fro, we call for this rare creature to come back us. We know you’re there, we’ve seen you on billboards. We need another ‘fro revolution. Nappy heads unite!! Besides, you know that ‘fro just makes you look so much cooler!!

Copyright The Global Village Newsline 2007