Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was the guest of the week on Channels TV’s Sunrise and she never shied away from discussing issues of the African hair, her hair.
Her latest book; Americanah, which is being launched in Nigeria today has caused some hullaballoo over her remark about her preference for the African kinky hair.
“There is a mainstream idea of what is beautiful and it is not this kind of hair (pointing to her hair) and we (African women) have internalised that. We see our hair as difficult, as unattractive.”
“Our hair as it grows from our head is seen as something that we have to do something to, which is why when there is a big event, even women with natural hair don’t wear their natural hair to the event. They do something to it” Chimamanda explained.
The author who did not hide her dislike for hair attachment stated that “what we consider mainstream idea of beauty is, we have put on rims of plastic…. I don’t find that attractive at all.”
“If people want to do it, God bless them, I do think we have to talk about why our hair is something we have to do something to” she added.
Chimamanda glowingly acknowledged her preference for her virgin hair which she claims she has carried for a decade, saying “I have fallen in love with my hair because I didn’t realise it could do all of the things it does.”
She admits that new book -Americanah- is about hair, but there is a lot more to it.
“It is about immigration, it is about self-invention, it is about love.” “It is a traditional love story” she added.
Watch the interview and see her recommendations on how to maintain the African hair.