In many western societies, a woman's hairstyle or hair type is often seen as part of her identity. People tend to describe each other according to their hair, for example: "
That blond girl over there", or "
the lady with long curly hair". Here in Sudan, there is a different perception on women's hair. Most of the female Sudanese wear a headscarf that clearly covers most of the coup. They are not supposed to show their hair to other men, besides their own husband and close family members. The beautiful coloured scarves always make me really curious about the hair styles underneath. And I can tell you, it sometimes is a big surprise! Talking about 'hair' is often a topic among my Sudanese female friends. When I first met them, they liked to feel my hair and ask me what products I use to keep it soft. "
I wash it daily with normal shampoo and then I just let it dry in about 30 minutes", I told them. After a short pause they looked at each other, laughed loudly and said that they couldn't imagine that. After I'd asked them why they couldn't, they one by one lifted up their scarves and revealed their hairstyle. I was speechless! The majority of them had
very long,
very thick beautiful hair which had been tied at the back to keep it in shape.
"You should see me in the morning; you would not recognise me!", one said, while putting her hands next to her head to show who wide her hair is when she wakes up. The others nodded as they recognised their own hair experiences.
"Actually, I am sometimes really happy that I can wear a scarf", one of them concluded.
"When I have a bad hair day, nobody will know!"
