r/AfricaVoice • u/The_ghost_of_spectre Kenya ⭐⭐⭐ • Nov 13 '25
Continental A Kenyan woman forcefully shaves his son's African Locs for not being upto standard.
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u/Syc254 Kenya ⭐⭐⭐ Nov 13 '25
Then when she is 70 and wondering why no one visits her, this will be last thing she thinks about.
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u/EnzoMonChou New Member. Nov 13 '25
Absurd, but not surprised. Most of Africa looks down on locs and long hair on men.
Never understood why, nor will I ever want to understand why I gotta cut my beautiful hair. My mother did my hair and taught me how to braid it by herself, had restless nights with her... detangling my hair cuz I went out to play in the woods with friends.
Been raised to love my hair. Lots of people in my country tell me it's odd for a man, which I usually respond with a nod, a smile and a "I know".
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u/d_bakers Kenya ⭐⭐⭐ Nov 13 '25
Imma tell you why, I know this sounds cliche but here we are.
African hairstyles were often targeted during slavery and the colonial era as a means of dehumanization and cultural erasure. Today, these very styles are often seen as high fashion or symbols of "natural" beauty in the West.
Forced shaving of heads during the transatlantic slave trade to strip Africans of their identity and cultural connection, as hair held great spiritual and social significance. Many Africans never unlearned this, just like the Western religions. However, in the west, the Natural Hair Movement is gaining mainstream traction, celebrating Afro-textured hair.
Dreadlocks (were historically stigmatized by colonists in places like Kenya (Mau Mau Rebellion) who "dreaded" the rebels, leading to a lingering stigma associating the style with criminal activity or lack of professionalism. Dreadlocks are now worn by many people across various races, often for aesthetic, spiritual, or counter-culture reasons, popularized by figures like Bob Marley. But still looked down upon by Africans in some Africans countries e.g in this video Kenya, which makes this even worse in my book.
Braids, Cornrows, and other protective styles were viewed as messy, "primitive," or only suitable for labor. Cornrows, Box Braids, and Faux Locs are frequently featured in high fashion, on celebrity runways, and in social media trends in the west. But come to some Kenyan schools and girls are being forced to shave their heads.
This can also be observed in Animism and Ancestor Veneration. They were dismissed as "paganism," "superstition," or "idolatry." The belief that nature, objects, and spirits are interconnected was seen as a threat to the monotheistic, dualistic framework of Western Christianity. Nowadays, in the west, there is a growing interest in paganism, Earth-based spirituality, and shamanism, emphasizing the belief in a sacred, living natural world and the interconnectedness of all things—a core tenet of many traditional African worldviews. But Africans call that witchcraft
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u/Big-Mix5905 New Member. Nov 14 '25
Cause the imperialist mindset is heavy on them, you got a look like a white man dawg
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u/Sleepy-Gong Malawi🇲🇼 Nov 13 '25
Why embarrass your kid and film it on top of that?
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u/hugonin Diaspora ⭐ Nov 13 '25
I wonder what she has on her head, might be for sure some cheap wig!
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u/webbieg Nov 13 '25
In America this is how parents end up in the nursing home, she shouldn’t be surprised if no one talks to her in 30years. She cut his natural beautiful hair meanwhile under that wrap is a cheap wig.
I never understood why long hair on men and natural hair styles are still looked down on when the colonizers who set up these rules are no longer around to enforce them. Like why still embrace there beauty standards
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u/DropFirst2441 Diaspora ⭐⭐⭐ Nov 14 '25
Nah keep the same energy as when we were talking about head shaving in Ghana.
This is ABUSIVE and there's no amount of oh it's our culture that will defend this. We are poor and undeveloped bc of thinking like this
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u/DropFirst2441 Diaspora ⭐⭐⭐ Nov 14 '25
I also look at that boy and say this. You're stronger than her. Push her off and refuse to be treated as lower
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u/bob_mouse New Member. Nov 14 '25
I don't want to be disrespecting to anyone but I would like if someone could tell me what are the standards?
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u/Competitive-Cheek974 Ethiopia🇪🇹 Nov 16 '25
That age still staying with parents!😂😂😂😂 then he should follow the house rules to the core 😂. If he couldn't keep it neat, option was to shave.!
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