Travel: "English Names" No Braided Hair- African Girls With Shaved Heads-Racist Policies Still In Practice Today

Saturday, 15 July 2023

By: TB Obwoge

I've lived in two African countries, I'm writing often about how life is for me in these countries. I left Kenya, to move to Ghana, where my life has been hell. I learned a lot about pain, racism because the color of my skin by most Black Africans I encounter is considered white.

Not my mannerism, my skin, is always pointed out as not that of any Black person they're ever seen. Not even the ones of television, I guess.

I had always been on the hunt for why girls in some African countries have their hair shaved short. A former classmate named Dayo (spelling might be incorrect), was allowed to wear a cap on her head, everyday.

Students would often get detention for wearing caps, hats in the building, especially boys, they would get their ball caps taken. Dayo was a girl, she was excused, one day some asshole snatched her hat off her head. We all saw that her hair was shaved short like a boys.

Some of us fought the boy that snatched the cap, we returned it to her. She was very sad. Later that day I asked her why her hair was short and why she was ashamed of it. She said that she had come from Nigeria, that they were told to cut their hair in order to attend school.

That was one of my first lessons about life in Africa, the second was that some Nigerian (African) parents, brutally beat their children. Her mother did that one day, right in the classroom. She beat her like she was beating a grown man that tried to rob her, punching and hitting her.

The sad part is I was being abused at home by my mother, all Dayo had done was forget something at home. I can't get the sound out of my head, this was over 35 years ago.

When in Kenya I asked about the hair cuts, I was given various answers but all were just guessing. Another thing I seemed to learn, African children are taught not to ask questions. Albert a Kenyan friend said it could lead to being beaten.

Several children in Ghana told me the same thing. I lived in a house with 7 children, they often told me they'd be beaten if they questioned an adult. Therefore they learned not to.

In Ghana parents told me things like, if girls didn't cut their hair short, they'd be late to school. Others just claimed it was the rule, without knowing.

Recently in Kenya, citizens started a petition to get this rule stopped. They thought it would gain the attention of government officials, instead they ignored it, as did millions of Kenyans.

Help Kenyan students to have freedom with their hair.

For generations, passed down from the colonial period, Kenyans and most probably many other African countries have been forced to shave (boys and some girls) and/or style their hair a specific way (mostly girls).

Many people do not understand the motive of the whole culture. Initially, Africans were forced to shave their hair by colonial powers because it was seen as ‘dirty’, ‘unhealthy’ and ‘untidy’. Therefore, our current school heads, who were children back then, were brought up in a culture where shaving hair was a mandatory practice and seemed neat to them.

Now understanding the point and motive of the whole practice, it brings us to an ultimatum that other than colonial manipulation, there is no just reason to have Kenyan children shave their hair. If neatness is really the problem with the current school heads, then a rule should be enforced that states that; it is allowed to keep long hair but it is MANDATORY to keep it neat and whoever is in breach of the stated rule, should then get a penalty to shave their hair.

Source: Change.org Petition

Only 35,333 hundred people bothered to sign this petition which is asking for 50,000 signatures. Sadly the government of Kenya really doesn't seem to care about the issues facing girls or women currently as there is a spike in femicide in the country.

Oddly enough most of these African countries that still have the practice of forcing girls to shave their hair for school, are the most homophobic places in the world. Then all girls are forced to wear either dresses or skirts to school, no matter the activity.

Nassau, Bahamas

My first trip outside of the United States was to the Bahamas, my mother sat my sister & I down and asked us which we would like to see Jamaica or the Bahamas. Her choices came with a warning from the travel agent. She said the agent told her that if we went to Jamaica that there was a certain level of violence & we would most likely have to remain on the resort area only.

With that we chose the Bahamas (was that the first bit of racism? I don’t know) this all inclusive trip was very exciting to say the least.

My mother had been trying to lose some weight but she decided that since this trip included food she would suspend her diet for the week of the vacation. Also my sister & mother had their hair braided for the trip. They prepared to look like the locals as well as not have to worry about running into issues with getting their hair wet (you know Black women & water on their hair don’t mix!)

The vacation was all inclusive, meaning we could eat and drink as much as we wanted. It was already paid for.

Once we were all checked in we took to one of the hotels many restaurants I believe it had about 4 of them not sure. We went to the main one which was casual, they had 1 restaurant that was ‘fancy’ you had to make a reservation for. You also had to dress up and I am not sure but I don’t think our ‘all inclusive’ was covered in that particular restaurant.

No Braided Hair

My mother quickly noticed none of the women working in the hotel wore braids they all seemed to have on wigs. This was very disappointing to my mom and sister especially, to young me it was very creepy, these amazingly beautiful dark skinned women with Blonde haired, stiff wigs was just creepy!

After seeing so many my mom walked over to one lady, leaned in a little and asked her why none of them wore braids or natural hair, the lady smiled so rich & deeply at her!

This woman lifted her wig up to show my mother & us that her hair was braided under her wig. She stated that the Radisson Hotel wouldn’t allow the women to wear braids to work. My mom let out a loud gasp, she replied this is the islands this is all I expected to see here.

Zanzibar. Tanzania 2023

Zanzibar’s government has ban the braiding of hair by men, with a 1 million Tanzanian shilling (about $410) fine, six-month imprisonment or both for anyone who breach the directive.

According to the island’s Council of Arts, Film, and Culture, the rule is aimed at protecting what it calls Zanzibar’s culture and tradition.

Police will arrest any man who braids his hair in Zanzibar without a special permit and any man who wants permission to plait will be required to pay 1 million Tanzanian shillings ( about $410) for the permit.

Philadelphia, Pensylvannia (30 years ago)

PECO — Philadelphia Energy Company my mother worked for the company for 16 years, during which time she transitioned through many roles within the company. I think she has a few novels within her worth writing if only she could get over her issues and toxic life I think it would be a great therapy to write it out.

However in her role as a meter reader in which she walked the streets of Philly reading house meters of homes to get their accurate electric readings. Some houses she had to go into because many meters were not outside but in their basements which as you can understand at times questionable.

Well PECO had a policy of no braids for anyone even women it was even explained as it “scares or intimidates White people!”. Even when it was winter & a person wore a hat they could not have braids in their hair under their hats, wait a hat was always part of the uniform when reading meters at the time.

Accra, Ghana — Seoul, South Korea

(MOST AFRICAN COUNTRIES AS WELL AS ASIAN)

Walk into any hotel (In some countries in Africa or Asia) look at the name tag of the staff member that you first see more than likely it isn’t their real name at all. It will more than likely be an ‘English’ name.

When I went to visit South Korea I found it very odd that there was an Uber driver named ‘David, his name wasn’t David, at all he was an international Uber driver.

He was fluent in English (not fluent like one would hear in America or the UK) so he was vetted by Uber and labeled an international driver he changed his name saying many can’t pronounce it his Korean name.

I refused to call him David, we spent a few days together eating meals, going to a glass bridge, I called him by his Korean name.

Many Koreans have an 'English name' that they use in international and English-speaking contexts. For example, LEE Hyori may be known as “Michelle”. Most people will revert to using their original Korean name amongst family or when writing or speaking in Korean.

Source: Cultural Atlas

Dreadlocks

In America the Supreme Court claims dreadlocks are not a protected hairstyle. Also only 4-5 African countries have legalized the wearing of dreadlocks. Many school children are not allowed to attend schools with dreadlocks. Most Africans think that it's a religious practice of Rastafarians.

Others think it's dirty and people that wear them are criminals, still in 2023 people with dreadlocks are discriminated against in many parts of Africa. Some Africans will say this isn't true however there are many articles and documentaries are the hatred dreadlocks.

Even in one video this African man assumes all who wear dreadlocks are Rastafarians, they're not.

Thank you for reading 🙏🏽 Please consider buying a coffee for Lacey’s House efforts in Gender Equality & Children’s Rights as it tries to move international.

©️TB Obwoge 2022 All Rights Reserved