#KigaliNaturalistas: For Women in Kigali Who Love Natural Hair (And Holistic Health)
When I decided to move to Rwanda, I knew there’d be many challenges to deal with. Adjusting to a new culture, trying (and failing miserably) to learn a new language, and starting a new job were at the forefront of my mind. It never occurred to me that I would have a hard time finding hair products. Not even likkle shea butter.
Every time I needed staples like Giovanni or Shea Moisture leave-in conditioner, I had to find someone coming from the US who was kind enough to spare me some room in their suitcase. I mean people who I didn’t even know who happened to be a friend of a friend of another friend. Bless their hearts.
I’ve gotten accustomed to the repeated, not-so-subtle, hair-related inquiries:
So what exactly are you doing with your hair? Nothing.
Are you going to straighten it? No. Been there. Done that.
Why won’t you straighten it? *Blank stare.*
I was used to these questions in the US and Jamaica. I just didn’t expect to get it here too.
On the positive side, I’d also hear:
I wish my hair could do that. It can.
How do you get hour hair to do (insert hairstyle here) How much time do you have?
Can I touch your hair? If I like you enough…
As the positive reactions started to balance out the negative ones, I realised that there is a whole subset of women (and men!) in Kigali who, just like me, appreciate natural hair, want access to more products, struggle with coming up with cute and easy hairstyles, want to learn more about how to get healthy hair (and skin, and bodies), and were also talking about these same issues. Lucky for all of us, my friends Louise and Rose (who I blogged about earlier this year) had the same realisation, and together we created Kigali Naturalistas group. What started as a plan to share hairstyling tips evolved into discussions about nutrition, fitness, healthy relationships, spirituality – essentially, how to have a wholesome, healthy life. *cue violins*
A photo posted by Donnalee (@donnatruly) on
The mission of the Kigali Naturalistas is to encourage women to embrace, love and care for their natural hair, and to extend that mindset to a healthy, mind, body, and spirit. Now for answers to the two questions I’ve gotten the most so far:
Do you have to be a woman to participate?
The first event was designed for women. Some of our future events will be co-ed.
Do you have to have natural hair to participate?
No. Though the meetup is based on natural hair, we’re embracing all aspects of healthy living. The first event will feature both hair and makeup tutorials and give folks a chance to learn about to take care of their hair and skin, and buy great products that they can use. The tips and tricks can be useful even if you don’t have natural hair. It’s also a good event to attend if you are considering going back to natural, but are not sure if you’re ready. Also, why wouldn’t you want to spend your Friday evening here?
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think every woman has to have natural hair. I DO think that women should make informed choices about their hair. They should know that they can learn how to manage their hair without straightening it. And if they do choose to straighten their hair, it should be because they want to, not because they’re consciously or unconsciously living up to a Eurocentric beauty standard that was never meant for them anyway.
We’re having our first #KigaliNaturalistas meetup in Kigali this Friday. You can get all the details in the handy dandy graphic below.
(Update: Tickets are back in stock at Inzora.)
The 5000 RWF ticket covers food, cocktails, and an awesome gift bag with freebies, plus the event activities (which will be pretty cool if I do say so myself). If you miss the first one, we’ve got a calendar of bimonthly events planned for the rest of the year. We’re also taking suggestions on future events, and welcome collaborations without other individuals, groups, organisations, and companies who deal with hair, makeup, fitness, health, wellness, nutrition, and identity.
You can follow us on Instagram (@kigalinaturalistas) to stay in the loop. I’ll wait while you go click that follow button 🙂
A photo posted by Kigali Naturalistas (@kigalinaturalistas) on
And if you’re a woman in Rwanda, you can join the Kigali Naturalistas Facebook group to keep the conversation going. (Sorry fellas; we haven’t forgotten about you though. More to come on that another time).
Know someone in Kigali who’d be interested in attending the launch, or future events? Share this blog post with them, pretty please 🙂
#KigaliNaturalistas: A new group for Kigali women interested in natural hair and holistic health. Click To Tweet
i was really looking forward to be there but unfortunately i couldnt. I hope for the next event i be there 😉
Hey. I’m looking forward to meeting you there.