Last weekend, thanks to Going Natural Hair Care, I was able to present the Sabi Wiri program. That was not only a great honor, it was also incredibly exciting, inspiring and educational. With the launch of the hair products, everything I have ever worked on comes together. Where the Going Natural Hair Care products are developed to optimally care for frizzy hair and curls, the Sabi Wiri days are put together to positively change the perception of frizzy hair and curls.
I am convinced that frizzy hair can only really flourish when our hair is free from the heaviness that our hairstyles have carried with them since slavery. To seriously get rid of this heaviness and change perception, you have to get to the root of the problem. That is exactly what I aim to do with Going Natural Hair Care and the Sabi Wiri program with the theme Bad hair uprooted.
First on the program was the eponymous exhibition together with the launch of the book Bad Hair Uprooted, the Unwritten History of Frizzy Hair . The exhibition, consisting of photos that initiated the internet frizzy hair revolution, not only shows the beauty of our hair, but also highlights the social inequality of hair rights.
An image from the exhibition Bad Hair Uprooted
The official opening was done by Janine den Hartog-Parisius at my personal request. Not only because we are stanko friends from the Christus Koning School, but especially because she was there when I went frizzy, she experienced the first Sabi Wiri Dei and told me that I had caused a true frizzy hair revolution. I could not have made a better choice. As I expected, she gave a really good and fun speech and got the audience really excited about me.
While the models of the sisters Giovanna Cairo and Altagracia Cairo were given avant-garde hairstyles, I was able to continue with the unwritten history of frizzy hair described in the book.
For me it was great that I could present the first copy to Mrs. Liesbeth Venetiaan, former First Lady of Suriname . I had chosen her because she was the only First Lady I knew who proudly wore her beautiful frizzy hair. She has also always supported me since I started kroeshaar.com. The sweet First Lady wrote the foreword of my first book and gave an interview that I also translated into English.
the models of the sisters Giovanna Cairo and Altagracia Cairo
Despite the fact that I barely had enough time to announce the event, sorry about that, there were about 80 visitors to the exhibition and the media was also well represented. The STVS made a nice item and DWT wrote a nice article about it.
The next day the documentary “The Going Natural Video Diaries” was on the program. The goal of this documentary is to raise awareness by starting a dialogue about kinky hair and society. Very often it is also healing because viewers recognize themselves in the stories of the men and women who tell about their experience of going kinky.
I really enjoyed seeing that my documentary was well received and stirred up a lot of emotions among the audience. The women were especially happy that many men also had their say. The best part was that my father was very impressed and said “I knew you worked hard, but I never thought you could even manage to make a documentary.” That really made me beam because there is nothing more fun than surprising your parents, right?
The only pity of this evening was that the invited Minister of Education Peneux and Ex-Minister of Justice Misiedjan could not participate in the dialogue due to circumstances. It would probably have been a different discussion but the panel consisting of Rosita Leeflang, Sylvano Inderson and Rosita Rijkland was certainly no less and could not spoil the fun at all. It became a nice, pleasant, educational interaction between the panel members, the audience and myself. I had the feeling that everyone went home with a message accompanied with a pleasant feeling.
On the last day there were the workshops. I was able to explain in detail to about 30 people how they could use the Going Natural Hair Care products for optimal results.
I started with a live demonstration where I showed how I styled my frizzy hair, now in braidlocs, especially for this day. My hair was in twisted bantus and while I was taking them out, I explained that everyone could do this with their own hair, whether it was in braidlocs or loose. The effect will differ per person, but will be no less beautiful. I also explained which products I had used and why.
Then every other product was discussed, highlighting the important ingredients and explaining what they were good for. Finally, combing, scalp itch and hair growth were discussed, issues we deal with the most when we go frizzy.
The fun thing about the workshops for me is that people really loosen up and ask questions to find a solution for what they are struggling with. Using videos, I also showed some examples of hairstyles. It was so much fun that I definitely continued for half an hour.
For me it was a busy three days of running, but I can tell you, I am tired but satisfied as I write this. The fact that all this took place in front of a home audience at my father's parental home address made it just perfect. I am already looking forward to where I will be the next Sabi Wiri days.
If you are interested in organizing this event in your city, community center or town, send me an email. I would love to come to you!
Thanks to Claire Antonius from Orga-Nice , who worked tirelessly to help make this event a success, Errol from Pix by Plu and DTS, the importer of Going Natural Hair Care .
Also read: Going Natural Hair Care now available in Suriname