CARIBBEAN TODAY


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CU L T U R E


'My Nappy Roots' sparks hair-raising questions about African heritage


 DAWN A. DAVIS

Images of regal Africans
 with elaborately plaited
 natural hair, beautifully
decorated with cowrie shells,


or mud-encased locks flash
across the screen. Larger-
than-life pictures of Caribbean
musical icons Bob Marley,
Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer
flashing their "natty" rein-


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forces the message: natural
black hair is beautiful.
 Unfortunately, this is not
universally embraced by
blacks.
 Ever wonder why the sub-
ject of black hair is so vexed?
Why are issues of self-esteem
image, power, control inter-
twined with black hair. These
questions and more are tack-
led in the documentary "My
Nappy Roots: A Journey
Through Black lIIr-iIgL ,
which was screened at Fort
Lauderdale's Nova
Southeastern University in
celebration of Black History
Month in February. The 78-
minute film explores the
social, psychological, and cul-
tural issues that surround the
sometimes touchy subject of
black hair.
 Producer/Director Regina
Kimbell takes us on a psycho-
logical journey with "My
Nappy Roots", forcing viewers
to question their own attitude
to black hair. Pre-slavery
Africans on the continent were
proud of their natural crowns.
It was not until they were
enslaved and brought to the
Americas that terms such as
\\<,l ', "nappy" and "bad
hair" became the signifier of
black hair as another means of
power and control by slave
masters.
 The strategy worked, nega-
tively marking an entire race of
people. The expressions "boad
'ed", "dry 'ed", "natty 'ed",
often heard in some Caribbean
nations, are just a few examples
of how African descendants
have come to accept the nega-
tive definition of black hair in
its natural state.

MONEY-MAKER
 But out of all this negativ-
ity, emerged a billion-dollar
black hair care industry.
Kimbell interviews some of
the most successful and pow-
erful figures in the business,
including George Johnson of
the Johnson products line and


Edward Gardner of "Soft
,hi ii Madame C.J. Walker
is celebrated as the African
American who created the
black hair hair care business.
 The film walks through
the evolution of black styles
and the messages they sent
during a particular era. For
example, noted African


Film producer/director Regina Kimbell gets to
hair debate.

American entertainers such as
Cab Calloway and Nat King
Cole wore the early "relaxed"
hairstyles called the "conk",
which required a painful
chemical process to ultimately
straightened the hair. Today's
relaxers may be more sophisti-
cated and less chemically
harsh, but the process can be
painful, both physically and
mentally. Nonetheless, it is the
price many are willing to pay
for straight hair.
 The 1960s saw the re-
emergence of natural when
afros and corn-rowed braids
were all the rage, signifying a
return to black pride and
power. Today black hairstyles
run the gamut from natural to
straight. But many choose to
follow the European standard
of beauty long, flowing, silky.

TOUCHY
 Black celebrities, wearing
their preferred styles, speak
about the touchy hair issue.
Actress Kim Fields, with
shoulder length locks, discuss-
es her preference but warns
that blackness is more than
just a hairstyle. Actress Vivica
A. Fox applauds those who
wear naturals, but prefers her
roots straightened.
 Kimbell highlights both


sides of the hair story. Her
goal, she says, is to educate
black folks about the chemi-
cals and processes they use on
themselves without being
judgmental.
 "It's about being fully
 aware of the choices you
 make," she said.
 A host of historians, writ-
 ers, and hairstyl-
 ists offer their
 perspectives on
 the culture, histo-
 ry, and business
 of black hair, giv-
 ing the film a
a broad-based
 appeal beyond
 that of ordinary
 documentaries.
 The "Hair Wars"
 segment is per-
 haps the most
 entertaining,
 highlighting the
 best of the
 biL_,,I African
 American hair
 shows in the
the root of the United States
 that showcases
 the artistry of
 hairstylists, along with the
 most elaborate, outlandish
 hairdos they create.

 CONVERSATIONS
 "My Nappy Roots" also
 nudges the viewer to think
 about the implications of skin
 color and class issues. It points
 out the significant impact of
 the media on image and self-
 esteem. Ultimately, the film
 applauds black creativity, but
 underscores: Whatever the
 style natural, straight,
 wigged, bald, weaved black
 hair starts with strong nappy
 roots that crown a people.
 "These are conversations
 we need to have, particularly
 with our young people," says
 Kimbell.
 She continues, "Once we
 know what our true beauty is,
 we can be free to express it in
 whatever way we like."
 But, the arguments for or
 against the natural continues.
 One viewer put it this way:
 "The feeling of betrayal is
 always there if I hide my
 African-ness with someone
 else's hair."

 Dawn A. Davis is a freelance
 writer for Caribbean Today.
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March 2009