Women behind the lens: ‘When your sister does your hair, you don’t need a mirror’ | Global development

This photo was taken as part of an art project called Salooni that I created with three other Ugandan women: Kampire Bahana, Aida Holi-Nambi and Gloria Wawamuno.

The Saloons explores the idea of ​​black practices as knowledge systems through which culture and survival strategies are passed down from generation to generation.

We created a roving hair salon that gave away free haircuts and made a place for black women to gather, talk and connect about all the good and hard things about black hair. These installations happened during the LaBa! street art festival in Kampala, Uganda; on Africa Utopia Festival at Southbank Center in London; N’Golá Art and Culture Biennale in Sao Tome; and the Africa Bass Cultural Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The salon was set up with three chairs facing mirrors; we uploaded portraits we had taken and released videos we had shot along with reference photos from our research. One chair was dedicated to the stylist who did free haircuts; a chair allowed visitors to style their hair; the last chair held a “share book” where people could write all the things they wish they never knew about their hair. They were later shared in a TEDx talk which we gave Aida.

Filming for this particular series, Magic in the Garden, was very special because we gathered at a friend’s house in the Busiga district of Kampala and all the help was provided by friends who are on the film. The photo – and this whole project – remind me that my tribe will show up for me, we will show up for each other. It reminds me why I work for us.

There is a saying that informs this project: “When your sister does your hair, you don’t need a mirror.” This image makes me think of my family of black women, biological and not: so much of the Salooni project was made for this community and being surrounded by them during its creation is part of why this project is so special to me.