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Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to
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Discrimination based on Hair.

I don’t have peace. I am the subject. As to how I got out of the house with this kind of hair is their problem. Am I slowly turning into a vagabond? My boss must be thinking about it. The first thing she did while greeting me was to throw a look of ‘I am concerned’ on my head. Fellow volunteers have been touching my hair; some saying it may be having lice or nits. Their words are followed by groans. I am not fitting.

Wisdom could have driven me to the barber and asked him a Jordan cut. Then I’d look good in the eyes of everyone. If my mama met me today she’ll think otherwise. I know what I should be doing- having my hair short and neat.
African hair (Africa as an identity) make us rather look shaggy than orderly. Or is that what we have conceived in our views? To be told how to do your hair is to be chosen what to wear. Not everyone agrees to it. Were it that humans were individually independent, some systems would not get hold of us. Uncombed kinky hair forms knots that we have been warn and taught that it is shaggy. To make locks is identified with thuggery. It is like religion- convinced to understand what we are not parcel of.

Women, who should be discussing this, were I a good boy is past the Matuta style to long synthetic or whatever outfits. How does it occur to you when it dawns that beauty is faked? News anchors lose admiration, do they? My ideal girl has an afro that is dyed or lines that run stylish on the head. Where did the black wool go to? It was good to round mama’s head when her hairstyle was weeks old.

Discrimination can occur on so many things. The easiest prejudice is on one’s external look. Hair is the first. If I do whatever I do with my head, what is wrong with you? Systems that would want to decide what time to report in office, what to wear, when and not how to do blablabla are the things I’d want to kick off my life come tomorrow morning. Of course there are cleaner and more responsible Rasta men that Jordan’s. Should we go to street for this?

Depending on age and lifestyle (not fashion) should we choose what best suits us. Life lived between the margins of other people’s choices and views are no better than slavery. Who knows, without astronomy genes that hair can propel you to some kind of knowing? There is a picture I carry taken a few days after my birth that shows long first hair that traditionally should be shaved by the grandmother. Dad was still planning for the son to meet its grandma. Does it happen nowadays?

There are men and women who have passionately shown the world that they are wonderfully made. Are you one?

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