George Lazois is originally from Santi Gron. After his studies in the Netherlands he returned to Suriname. He is now the owner of Arinze Tours and Madeira Enterprise. The latter is a company specialized in woodcarving.
He used to think negatively about frizzy hair, which is now changing positively. Read on to find out how that happened.
You participated in the Carifesta expo, it seems quite difficult to make a selection of woodcarvings. Which did you choose and why?
We can do carvings on anything and we had to make a selection of items that were easy to carry around. Of course, we also select those pieces that we think people will be interested in and will appeal to.
Has that knowledge been lost?
The knowledge about this is indeed in danger of being lost if we do nothing structurally. And with we I do not only mean the people of Santigron, but the entire black community.
I have had this experience with the traditional dances of Santigron. Awasa was only danced by old men and women 15 years ago, but since I started Arinze Tours, I organize tours to the village and people are paid to perform for the tourists. Since then, people have started paying attention to Awasa again. The result is that 85% of the young children dance, sing the accompanying songs and learn to communicate with the drum. Building in an earning capacity actually makes people want to invest their time and energy in it. Otherwise it remains in the atmosphere of tradition, culture, folklore etc. My vision and commitment are therefore focused on earning money to guarantee education, health care, etc. for the domestic population.
Is there a specific hairstyle that has stuck with you, that you find very beautiful or strange? Can you describe it?
I still think one is very pretty and that is from a point braiding in the middle of the head to the ends. All the way around the head in circles. Another is braiding plugs of hair first and then sliding them into the braided hair and that looks like a bunch again.
What did you think of that relaxed hair when it was all the rage? And now?
I didn't like that at all, but there was something else for that, namely pressing, burning the curls out with a hot iron comb, so that no curls were visible anymore. Sometimes they also burned the scalp and then you saw the empty bald spots on the head. In most cases it smelled terrible. And that was what the young ladies in our village did who had gone to the city for education. That was the "image" of the educated. So the teachers, nurses, etc.
Has this changed now?
It's kind of changing, but we want it to go more towards natural because natural is fun, fashionable, maybe I can even say sexy.
About 90% of black women in the Netherlands are relaxed. What is the ratio of natural to relaxed hair now at Santi Gron?
Due to the economic malaise, these women do not have the financial means to keep up with all the (fashion trends) and to participate. So in Santigron it is still a ratio of about 50%. Certainly the older women do not participate. And braiding is easy, because you can do it yourself.
Why are women and girls going back to their original hairstyles now? Is it a fad or a conscious step?
It is fashion and from time to time it will come back. A bit of black consciousness also plays a role. Young girls mirror themselves on the role models who consciously walk around with frizzy hair. For some it is therefore a conscious step and there are people who are convinced that frizzy hair is very beautiful.
Have you ever tried curly or relaxed? If so, how did it go, if not why not?
Never done it. It would cost me too much time and money. Besides, I didn't like the look of it. And it also makes your clothes dirty and filthy.
Do you think there is a connection between self-image and frizzy hair? Could you describe it?
We must not forget that it is also a matter of fashion. My ex-wife in Holland (white woman) also regularly had perms in her hair. And sometimes braids because she thought they were pretty. But in some cases it is clear that people do not want to be associated with the black race. Not with the language, place of birth, etc. Some people do not want to be associated with that.
How did you used to think about frizzy hair and has your opinion changed over the years?
Negative and it has now changed positively. Through awareness and especially misunderstanding by others. Believe in yourself and believe in the group you belong to. For me it has not only to do with the hair also with the other things in our culture.
You are what you are. But the white people and others who are a little white kept trying to make it clear to us that you have to be different. For example, we didn't dare to speak the Saramaka language, because otherwise children would laugh at us at school. So the moment you stand up for your own things, there are others who try to put you down. By being derogatory about it.
I hear from many women that they relax because otherwise men don't look at them? What do you think of this statement, is it true according to you?
Women very often do things to gain/be in the favor of men. Sometimes, especially during puberty, it can play an important role. People want to belong, to a group. And that sometimes goes at the expense of their own identity. I don't blame them, but they do need to be taught that they also have unique things that others in the group don't have that they can be proud of.
Sometimes you look at a woman/man and they don't look at you while someone else does look at you very closely and you don't think about it. There are other boys who do look at girls who do have and wear frizzy hair. For example, I found a girl at the Wulfingschool so beautiful, because she was so natural. Really honestly beautiful, everything she had was her own. Her clothes, little or no make-up and she was also very intelligent. Those are important qualities and someone like that doesn't have to do anything to get into a man's good graces, I think.
What kind of hair does your girlfriend/wife have?
Kroes, she does all sorts of things with her hair. Always looking for something fun, different and unique. I prefer to encourage her to keep her hair as natural as possible.
What do you think of the website kroeshaar.com? Do you have any suggestions or recommendations?
I never thought there would be so much interest. I understand that there were a lot of people present at the Sab-I-Wiri Dei. In my opinion it is also a good thing that you can get information about it via the internet. My two daughters in Holland have frizzy hair, their curls are a bit bigger, but they just have frizzy hair. For those kinds of people it is of course a godsend. Because they do not know what you can do with their hair. Simply because they have never seen it the way my grandmother, cousins and aunts did their hair back then. I will therefore warmly recommend the book and the site to them.