Nigerien girls are more and more resorting to the old braids, amongst other tricks, to look after their looks
Posted by African Press International on May 18, 2007
Niamey (Niger) Nigerien girls are more and more resorting to the old braids, amongst other tricks, to look after their looks even if they should integrate industrial products for that the family and society use to become privileged moments of exhibiting aesthetic innovations.
In Niamey, the wedding ceremonies or “Foyandi” (womens meeting in Djerma language), generally held Saturdays and Sundays, are real events where women rival in beauty.
The competition is so strong that, these last few years, the old traditional styles that were dropped for more modern and “creative” styles, are gaining ground again.
The “grosgrain” braids are among the “innovations” given to the new style. It haunts the sleep of many married and unmarried young women.
Kadi F., a young student confessed: “I have grosgrain, because one needs to be beautiful and impress the boys.”
The “grosgrain” braids are done with highlights of artificial hair, with or without pearls, the “grosgrain” are presented in average and small braids.
For Kadi F., as many Niamey girls of her generation, “a young woman worthy of her name should take care of her hair; the hairstyle is the top of a female beauty.”
She came to the salon to make herself beautiful, “because my cousin is getting married next week, then I should have the new braid in fashion, the braid grosgrain”.
Malah O. is a radio DJ. He acknowledges that the quality of the hairstyle “is the very first thing” which he looks at in a girl.
To renew the styles, Afissa B., a hairdresser, also takes from the past because “we are often obliged to call upon the old plaits, to satisfy the request of our customers”.
“Old TV programmes inspire us new hairstyles and generally, these are the braids that the girls ask us,” she added.
Each braid or hairstyle bears a name in Niger. There are: “debegna” from the name of an actress in the drama “Debegna”, or the ” Annees soixantes”, in reference to the songs of the same name.
In Niger where traditions are very present in everyday life, it is in the habit of saying that “a woman who is not braided is not one” and the braids describe also the statute of the woman (bride, girl, widow) and even her ethnic group.
If in Senegal, the widow has a special braid which she should renew every Friday, for the Kanuris (far-east Niger) for example, the braids “Kila Yakou” (with three heads) are made for girls.
Published by Korir, African Press in Norway, apn, africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.apa
