Kristen Gyles | The cultural exoticism sham

It’s heart-warming to see Jamaican culture evolving to embrace its Afrocentric origins and to embrace a greater awareness of black history, generally. Last year May 25, for the first time, Jamaica joined the African Union and the African diaspora for the celebration of Africa Day. Schoolchildren across the country got to engage in African-themed fashion shows, exhibitions and other fun activities that instil an appreciation of what for centuries has been classed as unappealing and ugly, despite being an undeniable part of our heritage.

Today is being celebrated as Jamaica Day, and the emphasis in schools will be on Jamaican heritage, which of course, has largely been influenced by African culture.

As great as these initiatives are, the watershed moment was the celebration of ‘Afro Day’ in many schools last month. For sometime in February, social media were laced with images and videos of young, black girls from various high schools donning their afros for ‘Afro Day’. We saw afros big and small, puffy and fluffy, thick and thin, ranging from black to brown and hovering over faces grinning from ear to ear. The students were clearly enthused to be showing off their afros.

As beautiful as the display was though, I was still left somewhat conflicted. It is clear that the intention was to promote Afrocentrism and an awareness of black heritage, especially since the initiative was spearheaded in February during Black History Month. Yet, as far as we all know, the wearing of Afros is still reserved for ‘Afro Day’. In many schools, wearing an afro is almost a crime on a regular school day.

Of course, many will argue that one day is better than none. And especially for those who grew up in an era when natural hair could have costed a qualified black woman meaningful employment, the step away from a traditional hatred of negroid hair, even for one day, is grounds for an applause. From that vantage point, it is understandable becoming awestruck at the concept of a school having a day designated specially for the wearing of a signature natural hairstyle. But the concern here is the confusion potentially sown in the mind of a thinking student who can’t understand why afros are celebrated on some days and totally outlawed on others.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?

So, to get to the bottom of the issue here, what exactly is the purpose of Afro day? Is the purpose of Afro day to promote or normalise the wearing of afros generally or is it to put on a show or display of traditional African Jamaican traditions and emblems? Let’s not confuse the two.

Something good can be celebrated in a way that makes it out to be exotic and extraordinary and the effect is that it is seen as just that – exotic and extraordinary – and therefore not befitting of normal or everyday use. That, unfortunately, doesn’t do much help, contrary to what is assumed. There is a difference between acknowledging something as being inherently valuable or useful of itself, as opposed to being a cute cultural emblem or icon.

It’s pretty much like how some Jamaican parents view the usage of patois. It is okay for students to speak patois while reciting one of Miss Lou’s poems or while on the school stage participating in an Anansi-themed skit, but a student dare not break out of the mould of standard English while speaking to a teacher or to any authority figure, because of course, that would be utterly crass and disrespectful.

What’s the purpose of reciting Miss Lou’s poems if patois is too horrendous to be spoken daily? Just for show? Jamaicans typically feel a sense of pride and unity with one another through the way they express themselves colourfully using the Jamaican vernacular. There is no need to try to take that away from a Jamaican child, while simultaneously expecting them to choke up every known Jamaican proverb while performing on the school stage at Jamaica Day.

NOTHING WORTH CELEBRATING

Neither the wearing of afros, nor the usage of patois, nor the incorporation of traditional Jamaican foods into our diet needs to be reserved for special days or occasions. If these practices aren’t good enough for everyday usage, then they are clearly nothing worth celebrating. If schools wish to promote the wearing of natural hairstyles, they should eliminate the restrictions surrounding the wearing of natural hairstyles generally – not just on Jamaica Day, Africa Day, Heroes’ Day or even for the entire Black History Month. After all, natural hair is – natural, normal and perfectly acceptable, although often treated like some strange, exotic, wild bird species that needs to be caged up and put on display for scheduled viewing in a zoo.

So, while ‘Afro Day’ might have played its role in helping to build the confidence of our black girls, I hope one day we will get to a place where distinctive elements of our identity and heritage are no longer seen as souvenir-type assets reserved specifically for occasional admiration or, even worse, for foreign exploitation and benefit. There’s nothing exotic, extravagant or bizarre about the black race and its features. We should celebrate more of our identity, and the freedom to embrace it every single day.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com.