Beauty - Hair Care - Fashion : Having "Good Hair" In Africa

[StefiA]

That spiral curl look does seem to be associated with mixed folk for sure - so much so both my sisters spent ages getting their hair to look just like that. The fact they had to work at that though even though they're both mixed makes me wonder how common that look is naturally.
Half-caste is something used by older folk here in England so I guess that got taken over to Nigeria by the British. I think the problem with being called half-caste or half-breed is the suggestion in the word that you're only half a person - I know some mixed folk who hate the word mixed too, and biracial, and mulatta - personally I think the last one is the best sounding.

 

[Ezinne]

I was told that Nigeria and other places in Africa doesn't practice colorism, that it is a western thing. Why would someone in a country where the majority of people are a dark shade of brown automatically think that lighter is better? Who indoctrinated them to believe that? They don't because there aren't many white people there to tell them that. I was told that only happens in places that have a lotta contact with whites, such as in the US where you are indoctrinated with colorism through racism.


But it was a Nigerian who told me that yes, colorism (and that hair texture thing) is practiced there, and they think being light skinned is better and 'marrying up.' He said they also thought that everyone who was light(er) skinned was also mixed - and I now that is not true. About 5 or 6 generations back into the 1880's and all I got is black, black, and more black. Haven't came across any mulattoes or indians or whites... and for sure they were be there because.... I'm not dark skinned?

But yes, it is interesting to know that Afrika has fell prey to this sorta thing, especially since their own standards of beauty revolved around their skin color and their hair....... what happened?

Nigeria was colonized by the British. This Friday marks officially 50 years of "independence" from colonial powers. Where white people have been in contact with Africans and non-whites for a notable period of time, you will see colorism. However, there are some members in various ethnic groups in Nigeria that are fair complexioned, so light skin is not a new phenomenon, however divide and conquer based on phenotype is a fairly new phenomenon (in the comparative span of human history particularly in Africa)

So in short the answer your question is like many other countries where there has been a white presence, there exists colorism. Plain and simple.

 

[Ezinne]

And I await the day when African people the world over can get hip to the game of divide and conquer in this respect. Cause it's just that...a game.

 

[kde]

This is disturbing, but not surprising, given the history.

 

[cherryblossom]

This is disturbing, but not surprising, given the history.

So true....But, if I had been the mother of one of those Nigerian girls who still had to cut their hair when the "mixed" girls didn't, I woulda been up at that school with some serious attitude.