Nzingha (21) African Hair Police: Death and Discrimination on your head
Event Information
Description
A National Association of Black Saturday Schools www.nabss.org.uk and www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk production
This event will start at 2.30pm, latecomers will miss out and may not get a seat.
Donations accepted on the day.
Queen Nzinga was an African Queen who fought against the European invasion of southern Africa (Congo/Angola). The Queen Nzinga lecture series features African female academics / holders of expert knowledge, speaking on topics of their choice on a monthly basis. The Nzinga lecture series will provide a regular platform for women of African descent to highlight important issues in an academic setting. As a result of these lectures a Black Women in Academia Support Group has been set up.See previous Queen Nzingha lectures here
https://www.youtube.com/blackhistorywalks
Queen Nzingha Lecture (21) African Hair Police. Death and Discrimination on your head
Although many Black women can relate examples of poor treatment due to their hair form it is unlikely that they will be killed because of it. Or is it ? This audio-visual talk by Kandace Chimbiri links apparently unrelated topics of; colonialism in Southern Africa, World War 1,The Stolen Generation, Hitlers Germany, the Black Power movement, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lupita Nyongo and everyday life for women of African descent in England
We will cover:
- The role of hair in racism. What is African hair ?
- The Pencil Test
- The Haarfarbentel 'racial value' test
- Africans in Germany during World War 2
- Genocide by sex. Australia vs Brazil
- How and why African hair became devalued
- Hair vs skin as a tool of discrimination
We will also have an extended Q and A on the policing of black people's hair.
About the speakers Kandace Chimbiri and Crystal Afro
K.N. Chimbiri previously gave a lecture on 6,000 years of African combs from their earliest appearance in the ancient Nile valley to the modern ‘Black Fist’ comb. She provided a comprehensive introduction to African combs and revealed what they really tell us about African history, art, power, business, and economics
Miss Chimbiri has just released her third book, Secrets of the Afro comb, 6,000 years of art and culture to accompany the Origins of the Afro Comb exhibition now on at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Secrets of the Afro comb, 6,000 years of art and culture is the world’s first book on African combs for children. In addition to looking at the Afro comb as an art object, the book also discusses questions such as why African hair is curly. More information available here
Kandace Chimbiri is the founder of Golden Destiny publishing house which specialises in non-fiction books particularly ancient Black history for children. Her first two books, self-published titles are Step back in time to ancient Kush (an activity book about the ancient Sudan) and The Story of Early Ancient Egypt. Both books are now carried by museums like the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London, the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge, the Neues Museum in Berlin and Barbados’ national museum.
Crystal Afro is the author of www.TheUnitedKinKdom.com a blog about Afro textured hair which she uses as a platform both to celebrate and discuss issues relating to the Natural Hair Community in Great Britain. In 2013 Crystal worked as a committee member, helping to develop the Origins Of The Afro Comb exhibition (The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge) and was recently labeled one of “The UK’s leading natural hair bloggers” by Black Beauty & Hair Magazine (Jan 2014).
Watch out for our other exciting events: Black Women, and Mobile Phones: What the data shows, West African Astronomers of the 1600's, Oscar Michaeux the first Black American Movie Mogul, African Hair Police: Death and Discrimination on your head,Captain America: The Black History of the Winter Soldier, What were Black People doing in World War 1 )
A www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk production
(see our other future events at www.blackhistorywalks.co.uk )
