AFRO-DITAS

AFRO-DITAS emerged from a chance occurrence that, over time, became an obsession. During my usual walks through the streets of Havana, I was struck by the presence of Black women, specifically Cuban women, styling and arranging their hair on various city streets.

This practice is embedded within the wide range of meanings that hair has held across different cultures, encompassing sensuality, beauty, status, strength, joy, mourning, geographical differentiation, ethnic identification, superstitious beliefs, femininity, masculinity, age, wealth, power, and religion. We must not forget that the braids of Africans in the Americas were a form of rebellion and resistance against colonizers, while simultaneously reaffirming their cultural identity. They served as a means of communication through which different types of messages, maps, and routes circulated, in defense of their rights, with resilience and ingenuity.

From a deeper perspective, hair transcends the aesthetic dimension and establishes itself in the psychological and vital realm of individuals, as its symbolic importance acts as a medium for personal expression, showing the individual in relation to social norms. Hair can indicate the assimilation of traits from a particular social group or the intention to break away from certain patterns. On the island, the imprint of the African continent is also expressed in braids and natural afro hair, which represents a claim and identity pride as a way of defending Afro-Cuban cultural expressions and, perhaps, also a reconnection with ancestors. More than an opportunity to rediscover identities or an identification with afro-aesthetics, it implies a manifestation of deep-rooted pride in contrast to the epitome of beauty represented by long, straight hair.

I consider the scarcity of specialized salons and products for the care of this hair type as a reason why this wisdom is still transmitted and shared among women who teach each other and style each other's hair. In these rites, which unite power and magic, the canon of Afro-Cuban beauty is manifested with true freedom.