Made in Xipamanine

So I’m back to my town.

It felt incredible to get back and be overwhelmed with that oh so familiar feeling of being home!

Of course I was asked by everyone what my trip was like and I remember saying to friend “all I can say is that I have a further more appreciation for being here in this country, and being part of this society. Even with all it's faults. After the years I spent in the US, I don’t think I ever learnt to value all the things that Mozambique, more specifically, Maputo, is made of. Coming back from the US, I was resentful towards the American lifestyle, and their whole way of being that I think I never really took the time to appreciate being here. Now, I feel like there’s so much to value about my people, my country, and our lifestyle. Europeans are, in a way, simplistic. I feel like that’s something we as Mozambican relate to.” But, it’s difficult to not always want to compare, I think we as humans we base a lot of our opinions on comparisons, “I wouldn’t say this is better than that…” I continued “But there’s a lot of things that we can take from their approach that would be relatable here. And I feel like we tend to take a lot thing for granted here… things that you would never find anywhere else. Freedom.”

And on that note, I decided it was time cut my hair off. Not to symbolize anything, it was completely impulsive, just like any of my great ideas it started out with “Fck it!” and then, “Just cut it off.”

And now I have embarked on a journey to discovering my roots (in the hair sense), and seeing how much confidence I really have. I have started locking my hair to create dreads.

To maintain them and treat them right, I got to Xipamanini market, on  Avenida Robby Brothers, it's one of Maputo's oldest markets, a hustling and bustling outdoor jumble of stalls, and it's just the place to stock up on… well, anything.  

This weekend I took my sisters along with me to see if they pick on some inspiration.

Rafael, my dread master, takes really good care of me among other ladies who literally wait in like to have their dreads tightened.

 

Surprisingly it hasn’t affected me at all. I think other people react to it more than I do.

I had a girlfriend of mine who said that “Men are put off by women with locks.” And I was like, “Perfect! That’s exactly what I need.” But that got me wondering if there was any truth to her statement. She said that they’re perceived as “Butch” or “Masculine.” I recall reading over something about this being an issue in some communities where dreads are considered a more of a ‘man’s style’. I don’t know about that, I have relatives and friends who are female and wear dreads that are beautiful, its culture its not gender oriented old and young wear them, so I don’t know what she was trying to get at.

 

 There are lot’s of negative stereotypes that accompany dreads; witch I’m sure you’ve heard before; thankfully most men and women don’t hold them as valid. But then again dreads may not have anything to do with it at all.
All I’m saying is, it’s two-thousand eleven, get over yourselves!

 

As you would expect, as I was doing maintenance, I chatted up some ladies about their idea of the hair style and the stereo types, and none of them seemed phased by the idea of men not being attracted to them. They were mostly contented with the amount of time it saves them and how it favors their economical situation. Touché ladies… Touché.

I think it has to do with confidence. Do you have that confidence?

You can work most any look if you feel and act like you were meant to be in it. Men or Women. Strut your stuff, work what ya got. Shoulders back, head up, eyes forward, proud like a motherf**k*r.