Izinwele ziyipolitiki kwaboHlanga
Selokhu kwathi nhlo izinwele kwaboHlanga zixoxa indaba yomuntu, umphakathi nesizwe
“Ungawasusi amaqhakuva ezinweleni zakho! Wasuse ekucabangeni kwakho!”. Lawa ngamagama enkuthazo omholi waboHlanga weminyaka ye-1900 uMarcus Garvey. Ngale nkulumo lo mholi wayengena enkulumompikiswaneni endala ngezinwele naboHlanga nesaqhubeka nanamuhla. Ezweni ayephawula kulo, i-United States of America aboHlanga ababeyizingqila bathwala kanzima ngenxa yezinwele zabo.
Ngeye-1700, abesifazane ababegqilaziwe besebenza emasimini babevamise ukushuqula ngenxa yezidingo ezinzima zomsebenzi. Ama-Afrika ayegqilaziwe ayesebenza ‘ezindlini ezinkulu’ nokho ayebuye acwale izinwele njengabagqilazi babo, kokunye ngokuthwala amawigi agcine edumile ngalezo zikhathi noma aphombose izinwele zawo zifane nezabagqilazi.
Emadolobheni afana neNew Orleans, nokho, abasifazane abakhululekile bamaCreole babeluka izinwele ezikhombisa ubuqhakuva nobunsonto kunomoya wobungqephu, abedolobha basebenzisa imithethetho yokushuqula eyaziwa ngeTignon Laws, lapho kufanele bamboze ngesikhafu noma ngeduku izinwele zabo ukukhombisa ukuthi basezingeni lobugqila kunendaba ukuthi bakhululekile noma bagqilaziwe.
Le mpatho yabahlupha abanye abaholi baboHlanga nokwaholela ekusungulweni kwezinhlangano ezabe zilwa nalolu hlobo lwegcindezelo. Isiqubu sokuqala senhlangano yezinwele zemvelo saqubuka ngeye-1960. Inhlangano i“Black Is Beautiful” yaqinisekisa ukuthi abesifazane nabesilisa boHlanga ngesikhumba, ngobuso nangezinwele zemvelo bayathandeka benjalo.
Kulo mzabalazo kwaqhamuka izishoshovu ezifana no-Angela Davis abasebenzisa ubuciko nezinwele zabo ukulwa nokucindezelwa nokubukelwa phansi kwaboHlanga e-USA. Kusuka lapho ukugqokwa kwe-afro kwaba yisikhali ekulweni nokulinganiseka ngokobuhlanga kanjalo nokugcizelela ukuzigqaja nobumbano kwaboHlanga.
Lo mzabalazo awubanga lula njengoba kwezinye iziwombe kwagcina sekuyiswane ezinkantolo. Icala nje eladuma kakhulu kwaba yilelo langowe-1976 elaziwa nge Jenkins v. Blue Cross Mutual Hospital Insurance, iNkantolo Yokwedlulisela Amacala yas-USA yeSeventh Circuit yathi kunokucwasa ngokobuhlanga okwenziwa umqashi mayelana nama-afro. INkantolo yathi izisebenzi zinelungelo lokugqoka ama-afro ngaphansi koMthetho Wamalungelo Abantu onguTitle VII.
Umculo nabaculi beReggae abafana noBob Marley baba nomthelela ekuqhubeni umzabalazo wezinwele. Yize izinwele dreadlocks zike zimataniswe nomyakazo nenkolo yobuRasta iqiniso lithi lolu hlobo lwezinwele luyatholakala ezizweni ezahlukene e-Afrika nakwenzinye izindawo. Udumo lukaMarley nendlela ayecula ngayo kwenza kube lula kwaboHlanga emhlabeni jikelele ukuba bazihlanganise hhayi kuphela nomculo nesigqi sale nsizwa yaseJamaica kepha nangemiyalezo yomzabalazo eyabe iqukethwe yilesi sigqi.
Iminyaka ye-1980 neye-1990 yagqama kakhulu emzabalazweni wezinwele njengoba izinhlobonhlobo zezitayela zokucwalwa kwezinwele zaqhamuka.
Okunye okwavela kwaba yizikhangisi kumathelevishini nasemidlalweni enhlobonhlobo lapho osaziwayo babehlobe ngezinwele zabo nokwakuthi uma abantu bezithandile bese ziba yimgashini njalo. Ubani ongakhohlwa ngabantu abafana noMichael Jackson nephemu yakhe? Umculi wakuleli yena uCondri Ziqubu wodumo lweSikorokoro nokuluka kwakhe yena ungamlibala kanjani? Omunye umculi owadumisa uhlobo lwezinwele okuthiwa ngezaboHlanga nguMama Afrika, uMirriam Makeba, okwakuthi uma esedlubhe ezasekhaya ubone ngalo ikhanda ukuthi ngowengabadi ke lona. Ngamafuphi lokhu esikubona kubaculi abafana noThandiswa Mazwai, uSho Madjozi, u-Amanda Black nabanye kwabe kuwukuthathela kwamanye amaciko amadala akuleli nakwamanye amazwe anomlando wobu-Afrika.
Emsebenzini wakamuva osihloko sithi: “The power of Hair The politics of Hair in a (South) African context” isifundiswa sase-University of Johannesburg, uShonisani Netshia ubhala kabanzi ngomlando wezinwele emphakathini yaboHlanga. Ubuhle balo msebenzi wukuthi kususa udaba emuva futhi wakhelwe ebufakazini obalethwa nayezinye izifundiswa kulo mkhakha.
Isibonelo nje uNetshia ufakaza ngomsebenzi kaByrd noTharps oveza ukuthi: “Ekuqaleni kwekhulunyaka leshumi nanhlanu, izinwele zabe ziqukethe imiyalezo”. Ukuthi kwabezizwe amaMende, amaWolof baseSenegal, amaYoruba aseNigeria namaMandingo aseSierra Leone, izinwele zazikhombisa ukukhula, isimo sezomgcagco, ubuzwe, inkolo, ubunjinga nezinga emphakathini. Incwalo ingakhombisa nesigodi lapho udabuka khona.
Ebhukwini elithi: Hair Story: Untangling Roots Of Black Hair, umsebenzi kangoti wokuphila kwabantu uSylvia Boone ucashunwa lapho ethi, kwabamaMende baseSierra Leone: “izinwele ezinkulu, izinwele ezicinene, izinwele eziningi’”ezinye zeziqha zokudingakala kowesifazane. Izinwele zowesifazane ziwuphawu lobumame. Kokubili ugqinsi nobude kuthandwa kakhulu ngamaMende.
Isililo nenkolo
Izinwele lezi azigcini nje kwaboHlanga ngokujabulela okuthile noma ukulwela okuthile kepha khona lapho zaziba yisililo. Kunemiphakathi nezizwe lapha kwaboHlanga okuthi uma kudlule ilungu lomndeni bese bephuca ikhanda, kweminye imizi ngisho nabesifazane benza njalo bebika khona ukuthi kukhona okuxebukile bekhomba nesiqalo esisha sempilo eqhubekayo.
Kanti kwabanye izinwele lezi zilusikonkolo. Nanka nje amaZiyoni namaNazaretha phambi kwethu enza khona lokho. Uma nje singagxila lapha kumaNazaretha izinwele lezi aziwona umdlalo noma imfeshini kepha ziluphawu losikonkolo. Sekukaningi sizwa imibiko ethi ingane ethize noma indoda thizeni eliNazaretha ihlukunyeziwe kwathiwa ayigunde kepha zime ezamaNazaretha ekutheni ngeke lokho kwenzeke. Konke lokhu okungenhla kuveza ngokujulile ukuxhumana kwaboHlanga nezinwele bengakafiki nabelungu ngoba kakho belu ngoba izinwele lezi kwaboHlanga zidweba isithombe. Zixoxa indaba ngomuntu, umphakathi kanye nesizwe.
