The issue of “hair-style” constitutive of identity is a good starting point…I believe comrade Hope was laying a foundation for a critical engagement to assess statements that have been made in the far past by stalwarts such as Steve Bantubonke Biko on what it means to be African and Black, the likes of Amilcar Cabral, the founders of Pan Africanism (George Padmore) and many others. Strongly he is not being simplistic, but he is requesting all of us to introspect at the level of both cultural and political consciousness. Yes it is a good starting point to proceed to a higher and more complex debate.
VC, I submarine From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dominic Tweedie Sent: 30 September 2010 02:31 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [YCLSA Discussion] Hair If I may... This question: "I understand that only harping only on the hairstyles is a very simplistic approach to a complex problem,but then where do we start?" is a good one. I have been doing the "African Revolutionary Writers Series" on the <http://domza.blogspot.com/> Communist University for more than four weeks now. The whole thing is a contribution, intentional or otherwise, to "Heritage Month". Among others, it includes Amilcar Cabral's "National <http://domza.blogspot.com/2010/09/amilcar-cabral.html> Liberation and Culture". Now, do you really think that one can wipe all of that away and start all over again from a discussion of hair styles? I submarine... VC On 30 September 2010 13:48, Gugu Ndima <[email protected]> wrote: And you see the same supposed Advocators of Africanism indulging or using euro-centric principles when it suits them..?? How are they doing that exactly, am quiet curious? On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 1:44 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: Cmrd Gugu Do you not think what the Lebo Mashile's and Thandiswa Mazwai's are doing is vital in trying to regain the soul of our Africanness. By rejecting the value system imposed on the African child by the constant bombardment of American TV, must be of some value for the recapture of the African humanness, don't you think? I understand that only happing only on the hairstyles is a very simplistic approach to a complex problem,but then where do we start? With best regards/Mit freundlichen Grüssen /Ngeminqweno emihle/שָׁלוֹם Litha Thando Yono Mechatronics Technician MBSA Assembly Staff Commitee Representative DaimlerChrysler South Africa P.O Box 671 East London 5200 Tel(W) 043-706 2970 Fax(W)043 706 9308 AFRIKAN AFFIRMATIONS “If the renaissance we are talking about Afrika-wide is really a broad-sweeping “movement” and not one of the hoaxes high-flight politics spin around the heads of the working class and the poor, we must open up discussions all around, up and down to decode the revival – spell it out.” Es’kia Mphahlele – 2001 [email protected] Sent by: [email protected] 2010/09/30 10:36 AM Please respond to [email protected] To [email protected] cc Subject Re: [YCLSA Discussion] Hair So if pigmentation and texture of hair plays a role in identity, then does it make u less African to have a weave or straight hair? This reminds me of an advert by Metro (commercial radio station) the advert asked "What makes you black?" and then they showed an albino woman....Is she less black by having blonde hair and a light (white) skin completion? There is a generation of young people in our society that also fall into this narrow pit that Hair and beads make them look more African, whilst they accents remain euro-centric and live comfortably in the suburbs of Sandton and Rosebank. The identity of Africans should not be reduced to appearances, notwithstanding that it is an integral part, but being African has more weight and Identity than hair and pigmentation.... Somalians hair is more Indian than the supposed "African" type of hair- what about Egyptians? I honestly think this is a narrow analysis of Black hair, unless the analysis is based on her observation of SA......Africans are diverse on this continent and texture of hair should really not be a concern.Is she dismissing Coloureds as non-African or less African? Hope sounds like Lebo Mashile Regards Gugu On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 8:01 AM, Dominic.Tweedie <[email protected]> wrote: Business Day African-hair identity Hope Mankwana Papo, Letters, Business Day, Johannesburg, 30 September 2010 Following a long, protracted struggle for freedom, in the era of the African renaissance and transformation and retracing of our suppressed and lost identity, why are some of the black African people dumping their natural African hair and trying to look like Asian and white women through long artificial hair and wigs? This is contrasted by a very small number, if any, of Asian and white women who want to have their hair look like that of black women. Some black people even sport long blonde hair. What really motivates these hairstyles? What is the difference between these hairstyles and the mentality which motivated the misguided and colonially inspired use of the abominable skin lighteners in the ’70s and ’80s? Some people argue that they have a choice and can afford to do all sorts of things with their African hair. Granted, but I think this choice has to be exercised and informed by available hairstyle options, which retain the essence of who we are as Africans and an understanding of the terrible apartheid history of being called monkeys, baboons, barbarians and not being good at anything. This choice has to be informed by the humiliating and racist practice of the pencil test through the texture of the hair, to see if a person was a black African or a coloured. Did we struggle for some African people to consciously and unconsciously ridicule our rich African identity? Does freedom mean always having to conform to the practices of other people? Should we accept silly arguments that people feel uncomfortable with their African hair? Is mimicking some of the mannerisms of some of the African-Americans, influenced by an inferiority complex, correct? We cannot talk big about being African when we cannot deal with basic things which are within our control, such as our attitude to some of our natural attributes like hair. It is a recorded historical fact that African people contributed immensely to human civilisation. Does changing our hair to look like the natural hair of Asian and white people enhance this history? While issues such as health, education, fighting crime and corruption, rural development, creating decent work and poverty eradication are important to continue addressing, we cannot do that outside the context of understanding who we are and our background as Africans. As we part with the September Heritage month, we should ask whether we are ashamed of our African identity. Being African is an important aspect of building a nonracial SA. Hope Mankwana Papo Johannesburg From: <http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=122366> http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=122366 -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forumfor different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected]. You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected]. -- Gugu Ndima +27 76 783 1516 -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forumfor different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . If you are not the intended addressee, please inform us immediately that you have received this e-mail in error, and delete it. We thank you for your cooperation. -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. 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