Hair

Having more than an inch of hair here is the exception not the norm. Men and women both generally keep their hair short. In Dar es Salaam, I see more women wit longer hair or extensions than I have in other places. It is quite common to see little girls and boys with their hair shorn short. To tell boys from girls in my class I have to look at what they are wearing – girls in skirts and boys in shorts.

Me, having long hair, is a conversation starter. I’ve been asked, “why don’t you cut your hair?” and “how do you get it to grow so long?” among others. I’ve discovered that in crowded places like markets, it is best if I wear it up in a bun or I get the occasional tug from the curious passerby or the school girl who was dared by her friends. I’m not sure if the tugging is to feel it or to see if it is a wig. Either way it is not something I will get used to. While in Mori, Mama Macha’s wifi, sister-in-law, who is a deaf mute even gestured to me that I needed a hair cut. She had only seen it up in a bun. When I took it down, as now it is past my shoulders, she was amazed and gestured even more excitedly that I needed a hair cut. My head should look like hers with hair that was barely noticeable.

Most of the women in Mori wore some sort of head covering, especially headscarves all of the time. IN church this was a definite trend. I think I only saw one or two uncovered heads. The rest were intricately wrapped in printed kangas, sparkly scarves or tattered dress hats. The need to feel pretty is universal and whatever mechanism is available to enhance beauty to a cultural or personal standard will be employed. I use my hair as a decoration per se. It is something that I spend time on to enhance my appearance. Without hair, the ladies use their headscarves for the same reason.

In this culture, for most people there is so much work to be done that there is little time left to devote to doing a child’s hair. As well as hair products and care are a luxury that not everyone can afford.

I’ve been told that all mzungu look the same. I have to admit that I have had a hard time telling Tanzanians apart, especially men, unless I have talked with them and seen them more than once. At home I can walk into class survey the room, and go to my next class and pick out people who were in my previous class by face not by the way they are dressed. I think it has to do with hair or the lack there of. I have discovered that I and most of my cohort recognize people by “reading” their faces top down: hair, then eyes, nose, and mouth. In a culture where there is little or no hair to use as a recognition clue it is challenging to pick out faces. I have to reprogram the way I remember faces. It is a subtle difference though when it comes to making friends and remembering them it is important. Another thing I’ve noticed is that I can pick out varying subtle shades of Caucasian people. When it comes to darker skin, I am not as good at noticing the differences. I guessing that it comes from interacting with and having to recognize those differences. Skin tone is another factor in recognizing people. The more time I spend here, the easier the differences are to see. It is something that you have to train you eyes to see whether you do it from birth or make a choice to see the difference.