Laetitia Ky's afro activism and Medina Dugger's tribute to JD O. Ojeikere [This is Culture - TMC]

For a long time the black woman’s relationship with her hair has been that of love and hate … but overtime, African hair in its most natural state has been completely democratized, to the point of becoming a militant act.

This is the case of a young woman in this week’s This is Culture segment.

Laetitia Ky is a 21-year-old Ivorian photographer who uses her hair sculptures to add a voice to global discussions that really matter to her, such as feminism, racism and recently, to draw attention on the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment in Hollywood.

Laetitia is most passionate about celebrating Africa and emphasizing black women’s natural beauty, which she says is undervalued in a world where the typical standard is white.

Before Laetita, a photographer had already distinguished himself for capturing impressive hair sculptures : I’m talking about the late Nigerian photographer JD Okhai Ojeikere. His analog black and white photographs, featured hairstyles imagined and made by Nigerian women.

Beyond the aestheticism, these hairstyles were the reflection of a return to their origins for women who, after the post-colonial era had somehow freed themselves from western standards.

His work is currently being exhibited in France, at the Daoulas Abbey, alongside the work of Medina Dugger, an American photographer based in Lagos. Her photographs are largely inspired by Ojeikere’s, with a contemporary twist. The series is called “Chroma “. 

So we ask, when will such an exhibition take place on the continent ?