If you met Patria Himbaza, you would think her life is perfect. But how can it not with hair like hers? She’s the kind you would turn to see as she disappears down the horizon with her long hair being blown by the wind, just like we see in movies!

Hardly a day will pass without being asked if she is wearing a wig. But worry not, because she will say yes to the question to avoid a conversation where she gets to defend herself. Some may even try touching or plucking to make sure it really is natural hair. She has learned the trick over the years.

Himbaza had a ‘big chop’ of her relaxed hair which she describes had been damaged five years ago. She couldn’t resist the natural hair movement that encouraged people of African descent to embrace their natural afro-textured hair.

"When the whole natural hair movement was happening, I watched a lot of YouTubers talking about it and also my big sister was very into it. So I just felt like I needed a change,” Himbaza told The New Times.

Patria Himbaza with her natural hair style poses for  a photo.

However, growing natural hair is not all rosy. It is in fact, not for the fainthearted, and Himbaza is a witness. She can mostly have protective styles and different hairstyles that don’t require her to comb or do anything every day, so she says.

"But getting those hairstyles can be tiresome; it takes a lot of hours to manage,” Himbaza said.

Nevertheless, Rwandan women seem to not mind the trouble or the money- because it is relatively more expensive to keep natural hair than relaxed hair.

The famous twists and cornrows, knots, pineapple updo and others have gained momentum in just a couple of years. A short walk in Kigali’s busiest streets will give you a clearer picture, or just a visit to natural hair salons, whose queues are even curved sometimes, even at hours when other businesses are sitting idle.

One of the most famous, Marina Bella, is located opposite the Amahoro stadium. Going there without an appointment or after 3:00 pm requires a strong heart and patience. You might not even get where to sit given how packed it can be.

When the Covid-19 hit, lockdowns took turns and so did restrictions on some businesses.

Marina Bella salon was risking closing if nothing was done to keep social distancing measures, despite operating on two floors. That is how the owners; Alphonse Ndayambaje and his partner, decided to take on another room, and the other one became the ‘New Marina Bella.’

Ndayambaje, 30, started his career in natural hair dressing in 2018 when he graduated from the former Workforce Development Authority, in this field.

He told The New Times that on a busy day, they style more than 50 people, but the journey has not been easy.

"When we started, not everyone understood the concept, but now they do. We used to have only three employees, but now we have about 30,” Ndayambaje said as he designed cornrows for a client.

He said that however, they need advocacy on how to better have access to different quality natural hair oils and tools, because they are either expensive or not available on the Rwandan market. Perhaps this explains why their services are more costly than what we are used to.

Before, natural hair was considered ‘unprofessional’ or ‘not beautiful, but now it’s very endearing and makes me proud that we’ve reached a point where we can be proud of our own natural hair.

Nothing compares to a compliment for having beautiful and kempt natural hair.

Amasunzu 

However, this is not a shared experience with local musician Bill Ruzima, 23, who styles Amasunzu, a crescent shaped elaborate Rwandan traditional hairstyle.

Generally, we should appreciate young people preserving the culture. But Ruzima, who started styling Amasunzu in 2017, sometimes gives him compliments, while others regard him ‘abnormal.’

 "These hairstyles were losing momentum from the late 1950s. And not so many people were born by then, even some of our parents. I understand that this is new to our generation, but they are now getting and normalising it,” Ruzima said.

He added that the elderly are the most appreciative because they understand it more.

"I got the inspiration from old pictures of Rwandan people. I felt like there was no need to completely move on from our beautiful traditional hairstyles, yet it represents us as Rwandans,” Ruzima said.

Natural hair in ancient Rwanda

Indeed, after 1960, one would hardly find a person who styled amasunzu. André Ntagwabira, an Archaeology Research Specialist at Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy, explained that this change was due to adopting other cultures, and of course, a new variety of options.

"Women started plaiting and relaxing their hair to make it softer. Those who couldn’t afford relaxing their hair opted for hot metals and broken ceramics to straighten it. Now, most men prefer shaving their hair off completely,” Ntagwabira said.

Gone are the days, indeed, where we either had to keep short hair or relax it. Some of those who kept long natural hair would cry their eyes out as coiffeurs fought with combing it. Let’s say that a few combs were broken as well.

Also, public schools currently oblige all their students to shave their hair as a way to keep hygiene.

Jérôme Karangwa, the Manager of the Ethnographic Museum of Rwanda in Huye, gave a clearer picture of hairstyling in Rwanda before 1960, where hair defined one’s age and status.

He explained that hair styling started right when a person was born. After seven days, the baby's hair was shaved completely. When the hair grew a bit, they would hold a ceremony known as ‘gutanga isunzu’.

But older children had another hairstyle called ‘igisage,’ where cow ghee was added to their short hair and decorated with beads, rings, or seashells and other accessories to make it look like small dreadlocks.

Adult men and unmarried women styled ‘amasunzu,’ a crescent shaped elaborate hairstyle. For women, it indicated that they were of marriageable age.

When a woman was married, their hair was shaved completely for it to grow afresh and be styled differently.

Married women, especially from wealthy families styled ‘uruhanika,’ where hair was freely combed but then seemed to be held together. Once they had a child, they would wear ‘urugori,’ a traditional crown for mothers.

In one part of Rwanda that was called Ndorwa; currently Nyagatare, Gatsibo and Gicumbi, had their own hairstyles. ‘Icyatamutwe’ for instance, where part of the hair was shaved from one ear to another, ‘Ibihabane’ where hair was styled into four parts, and ‘Umugarama’ where short hair was styled like a hat.

Karangwa also explained that in the late 1950s, people started styling their hair differently. Women generally styled uruhanika while men styled ‘ipasheni,’ where a line was put between hair on the temple, and part of it was combed upwards, and the other downwards. They also styled afro-hair.

"It was easier for Rwandans to move on to different hairstyles because traditional hairstyles took long to be done, and there was a higher risk of accidents due to sharp objects that were used for styles like Amasunzu,” Karangwa said.

Different objects were used to style hair; especially that perfect hair had to be black, soft and well combed.

For combing, they used wooden combs made from bamboo, a mixture of cow ghee and soot to keep their hair black, and broken ceramics or a metal to straighten it.

For styling amasunzu and shaving, they used razor blades, broken glasses, and knives.

Later, plastic combs that include what is known as ‘Mukushi,’ were introduced.

Now, many of these tools have been replaced by hair dryers, flat top combs, hair irons and hair irons, among others.

Different styles, oils and gels have also helped Rwandans redefine their hair styling.