Hair today, not gone tomorrow
Held this past weekend at the Nust Hotel School, the Natural Hair Celebrations event brought women together under one roof to celebrate and share their interest in natural hair.
Organised by Wilka Shinene and Liina Nghipandulwa, the event kicked off with an inspirational speech from Linekela Usebiu who shared her hair journey with the women. She spoke about the struggles she faced when she decided to go natural and the difficulty of changing the negative perception of not being seen as a professional when one goes to work with natural hair. Based on this, a lot of women at the event confessed that they were victims of stereotyping from people who believe that natural hair is not “office friendly”.
Accompanied by a slideshow of her journey, she took all the women present at the event through her different hair experimental phases and how she managed to get creative over the years. “I was very insecure with my hair, so I turned to wearing wigs for comfort,” Usebiu said. Most of the women at the event could relate saying it is a daunting task to be natural in a world where Western culture is worshipped.
Ezette and Odette Tauros serenaded the audience with a song from Adele and although it started on a rocky note, they managed to pick it up during their performance. Zodidi Gaseb, a natural hair enthusiast was scheduled to speak, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she could not be present. But, she went the extra mile by preparing a short video clip which made everyone aware that it is our duty to “listen” to our hair which according to Gaseb, tells us what works and does not work for each person.
She also focused on the importance of having fun with hair and not being boxed around the perception that natural hair is boring. Gaseb urged the ladies to do what is right and what makes them feel comfortable. The masters of this ceremony were life coach Suoma Tobias, alongside Miss Namibia 2014, Brumhilda Ochs. They took everyone through the event which also included a question and answer session that was handled by six women giving the audience a chance to interact and ask questions on issues that included hair wash routines, dealing with dandruff, maintaining the hairline and protective hairstyles.
It was a day of exchanging knowledge and expanding the natural hair community.
The event organisers showcased numerous hair products and jewellery entrepreneurs.
TUNOHOLE MUNGOBA
Organised by Wilka Shinene and Liina Nghipandulwa, the event kicked off with an inspirational speech from Linekela Usebiu who shared her hair journey with the women. She spoke about the struggles she faced when she decided to go natural and the difficulty of changing the negative perception of not being seen as a professional when one goes to work with natural hair. Based on this, a lot of women at the event confessed that they were victims of stereotyping from people who believe that natural hair is not “office friendly”.
Accompanied by a slideshow of her journey, she took all the women present at the event through her different hair experimental phases and how she managed to get creative over the years. “I was very insecure with my hair, so I turned to wearing wigs for comfort,” Usebiu said. Most of the women at the event could relate saying it is a daunting task to be natural in a world where Western culture is worshipped.
Ezette and Odette Tauros serenaded the audience with a song from Adele and although it started on a rocky note, they managed to pick it up during their performance. Zodidi Gaseb, a natural hair enthusiast was scheduled to speak, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she could not be present. But, she went the extra mile by preparing a short video clip which made everyone aware that it is our duty to “listen” to our hair which according to Gaseb, tells us what works and does not work for each person.
She also focused on the importance of having fun with hair and not being boxed around the perception that natural hair is boring. Gaseb urged the ladies to do what is right and what makes them feel comfortable. The masters of this ceremony were life coach Suoma Tobias, alongside Miss Namibia 2014, Brumhilda Ochs. They took everyone through the event which also included a question and answer session that was handled by six women giving the audience a chance to interact and ask questions on issues that included hair wash routines, dealing with dandruff, maintaining the hairline and protective hairstyles.
It was a day of exchanging knowledge and expanding the natural hair community.
The event organisers showcased numerous hair products and jewellery entrepreneurs.
TUNOHOLE MUNGOBA
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article