An Island Afro-Arab Woman’s (AAW) Hair Story

Let me take you inside my hijab.

Nahya

Hello! My name is Nahya Khamis Nassor, the only female from a family of six. I was born, grown and currently live in Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. Since I was young, a hijab has grown with me, it’s all I know. You must refrain from showing your hair to any man not related by blood.  I am a twenty-eight year old Muslim woman, and in Islam we are only allowed to show our hair to the men who cannot marry us, which for me is my father, my brothers, my kids and when I get married I will be allowed to show my hair to my husband as a part of my beauty. But please do not think that because I wear a hijab that my hair has no story. What you do not see, does not make it invisible or uninfluential in my life. In Zanzibar, our hair can be complex, it can tell stories, and it can reveal our histories. Histories of an island culture and multi-ethnic families.

But please do not think that because I wear a hijab that my hair has no story. What you do not see, does not make it invisible or
un-influential in my life.

My family is mixed (as we refer to it) just like many people born and raised in Zanzibar Island. 90% of Zanzibar people are mixed because of our island’s history. Being a product of a mixed island community, women have an advantage of being related to many ethnicities, live together with love and no bullying or racism we are all one. My Dad is Arab and my mom is half Arab and half African which makes me an African Arab woman (AAW). My mother’s hair is fabulous “good” she has a lot of hair, very black and most important she has strong hair, even though she is now 54 years old, her hair still shines and is so black. When I was at the Quran school I used to have all these beautiful friends who I always wished to see their hair because some of them were Indian-mixed-girls and some were Arab-mixed and some were beautiful African girls. I have always wanted to see the differences in hair of my friends even though I have never had the chance to, because of their hijabs, but I could tell the difference from their eyebrows.  In Zanzibar a woman or girl’s hair is her beautifulness and to us women we do appreciate that.

Me and my brothers have different type of hair and it was always annoying to me when I looked at them, I wondered why they got all that long hair and I didn’t. So for so long I have been thinking of my brothers as the luckiest in our family because I think they inherited 98% of the genes from our parents-ha-ha! My first and my second brothers have very long, thick, strong root hair, and very shiny black hair. But when the coin turns on me the luck wasn’t given. I have a Total African hair type of 4-C, curly, and thin hair to my shoulder and very twisted with Brownish black color. I don’t know why but I always tell my brothers “how in the world did you take all the genes from our parents?”

Undoubtedly, I really do love my hair because I feel it’s so unique, beautiful and very “good” looking. I mean the only people in the world with hair like mine are of African origin. I can design a ponytail and put my scarf on top and many people will think what they want to think about my hair, but the truth is within the hijab “a beauty.” Nevertheless, on the other side it’s a bit challenging to take care of my hair especially when I wash it. At first I really had a hard time taking care of my own hair, I even had thoughts of cutting it all off. But when I was growing up, my mother used to do my hair and now my hair is my own responsibility. It is not always easy. How my hair transforms into little springs when I wash it, how it gets tangled and becomes hard to brush was something that made me so angry at times. I even cry sometimes while brushing my own hair. And then, my mom gave me a really important piece of advice: brush my hair while washing it.

It is not always easy. How my hair transforms into little springs when I wash it, how it gets tangled and becomes hard to brush was something that made me so angry at times. I even cry sometimes while brushing my own hair.

After my mother’s advice, my hair routine started to change whenever I washed it. I brush it while washing it, then I make two afro puff buns to help in drying my hair faster. After a few hours I apply original homemade coconut oil. This is the only hair oil that favors my hair, I have tried so many products and they all don’t work for me. After my hair dries I make braids or a ponytail of my choice.

I also have a monthly hair routine of applying aloe vera gel from my garden at home. I take one bar of aloe vera leaf and take out all the aloe Vera gel then I blend it with coconut oil and apply it on my hair, it helps make the hair strong, flexible, and shiny. I leave it for two to four hours then I wash it out using a Dove shampoo and the procedure of brushing my hair continues.

But all in all, I like how I can look at myself in the mirror and see my hair, it is something that gives me confidence and courage to say that I am beautiful and I am looking so good. It doesn’t matter that I wear a scarf which shields it from others, because what matters only is that I know I have beautiful and fabulous hair. People may think what they like, but what is most important is appreciating what you have in your hand, and to me I appreciate my look in the mirror and the beauty that I see in my reflection, I believe natural hair is beautiful hair.

Nahya Khamis Nassor

Nahya is an Arab-African Muslim woman who was born, raised, and lives in Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. She is an assistant researcher at the Institute of Health Research Zanzibar. She speaks Swahili as her mother tongue, LaGuardia, and English.