Why high schools for Africa still dey force girls to cut dia natural hair?

Imagine say you be fine young girl wey just get admission to any high school for Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda or any of di African kontris – but you no fit enta di school wit your long natural hair?

School authorities get one rule wey go force you to cut off di hair, otherwise you no go dey admitted for di school.

Dat na di dilemma of many young African girls, as high schools still dey use colonial rule to force girls to shave off dia hair, in dis day and age.

For Ghana, viral video of one student of di Yaa Asantewaa Girls High school for Kumasi, wey show as dem forcibly shave her long natural hair for one barber's shop as she dey go resume high school, bin raise di top all ova again.

Di video bin show as di girl dey cry hard as di barber run di razor through her hair for di presence of her mama, wey dey powerless to do anytin, as di school authorities don tok say if dem no cut di hair, she no go dey admitted.

Since di video go viral, many pipo don chook mouth for di mata, including di Minister of Education and oda experts.

"When I dey cut di hair, di girl dey cry – she no dey happy, so I pamper her bifor I fit cut di hair," di barber wey shave her hair tell BBC News Pidgin.

E add say "I no know say di video go go viral, na normal tin for me to post bifor and afta video of my clients afta dia haircut, for my TikTok page, but afta I post dis one, I dey under plenty pressure".

School authorities allegedly fire parents of di young girl inside di viral video – na so her mama also dey worry say her daughter video cause her wahala.

"For school after di haircut, pipo dey point at my daughter, dis mata bring me plenty trouble wit di school," her mama tell BBC News pidgin.

Even though she no gree wit di school rule to cut di hair of her daughter, she no get any choice.

Some girls wey dem force to cut dia hair years ago still neva recover from di shock

Dis mata dey beyond just cutting di hair of girls, e mean much more to oda pipo.

For some na just hair, but for odas, dis be issue about dia identity and dia true self as African girls.

36-year-old musician and actress – Joy Onyinyechukwu Adomaa Serwaa Adjeman wey her stage name be 'Adomaa' still always dey triggered if dis mata come up sake of di way dem force her to cut her own hair for 2004 wen she move to Ghana from Nigeria to attend high school wit her long hair.

"I really shock wen dem say I gatz cut my hair afta dem admit me for one Ghana high school – at dat time. I get really long hair; dat be di most obvious tin you go notice about me at di time," Adomaa tok BBC News pidgin.

She explain say "I dey so attached to my hair, so once di school tell me say make I cut am, di tin pain me. I survive for boarding school for three years in Nigeria wit my hair, I no ever dey distracted, I fit continue high school for there, but my parents bin move to Ghana, so dem say make I also move to join dem."

Adomaa say she struggle "so hard" sake of say dis rule "no dey make sense to me".

"Dis no be just hair, dis be mata about di identity of young African girls, some pipo dey struggle wit identity crisis sake of dis tin, sake of hair be part of who we be as Africans," di award-winning actress and musician explain.

She say "di same way we dey learn how to brush our teeth, how to bath and how to check ourserf, ibi di same tin wit our hair. Dem suppose teach us how to maintain our natural hair – ibi part of our roots."

"I still get my own natural hair but I dey wear wigs for variety sake of my job, I no dey gree wit pipo wey say to allow girls to keep dia hair for school go waste time and e go distract dem. Dat no be true; to maintain dis hair no go take up to 20 minutes sef."

Oda Ghanaian celebrities and personalities also share dia experiences wen high schools rules bin force dem to cut off dia hair.

Actress Lydia Forson tok say,wen dem force her to cut her hair wen she return to Ghana, di tin "traumatize" her.

"For years, I carry shame about sometin wey be my natural hair, meanwhile di same school allow my oda friends and students wey be black wit British passport to keep dia hair."

Lydia Forson like Adomaa and many oda pipo say time don change, society dey progress, so school rules must change to meet di needs of di present.

"We fit allow girls to keep dia hair – we go provide styles wey dey acceptable like cornrow or braids wey fit last for weeks or dem fit allow students 'hair time' to maintain dia hair, just like dem dey sign exeat to allow dem to go to town to trim dia hair. Di school also fit allow girls keep short hair by choice, no be by force," Lydia Forson explain on top her social media page (X).

As di debate dey happun on top social media, Ghana education minister wen he get chance to speak about di mata, tok say dem no go allow girls to keep dia natural hair today or tomorrow.

Oga Haruna Iddrisu tok say "dis debate about hair and length of hair for secondary schools, we no go tolerate am today, we no go tolerate am tomorrow, so long as we dey mould di character of di students."

E add say "if we allow hair today, tomorrow e go be shoes, di next day e go be dress – so if any parent tink say dia child go waka enta di school environment like say she dey go beauty contest, di school no be di place for dat, we no go tolerate am."

Reaction of parents

Some parents and experts say dem disagree wit di education minister.

One parent, wey also be lecturer Dr. Jemima Nunoo tell BBC News Pidgin say "since dis mata dey go on, I neva see any scientific study wey link cutting girls hair to dia morality or character."

Di mother wey say she no go gree make any school force her daughter to cut her hair, explain say "hair be symbolic of our identity, our beauty, e dey deeper dan just cutting di hair – for black women, our hair dey part of our identity."

"To force pesin to cut her hair, mean say you dey ask di girl to distance hersef from her identity of who she be."

In fact, dis rule no always be di case.

Dr. Jemima Nunoo say her mother no cut her hair for high school in di 70s for Ghana.

"My mother go di same Yaa Asantewaa Girls school and during her time, dem no force her to cut her hair. Di school at dat time get guidelines to keep di hair clean and tidy and natural."

She explain say "during hair time, di girls braid dia own hair – my mama use thread for her own, so she learn personal grooming through dat on campus."

"As a teenager, my mama sabi dis tins, so when she born me, she no dey carry me go any salon. She dey braid my hair for me. Na so me too I learn am."

Dr Jemima Nunoo go gree to cut her daughter hair when di time reach for her to go to high school?

"Wit my daughter, sake of my own beliefs, I no go allow her to cut her hair for school. If she want cut am by hersef, fine – but if I get my own way, I go make sure she go school wey no go force her to cut her hair."

Some parents agree wit di school rules wey dey force girls to cut dia hair, like oga Ernest Addo.

According to him, dis rule go allow di girls concentrate and reduce "unnecessary competition" among dem for school.

"Di students dey go campus to learn, make dem focus on dat, no be to dey tink about braiding dia hair. In fact, in my case, I tok to my daughters and I advise dem on why dem must cut dia hair. Dat be one way di school fit enforce discipline."

On top social media, pipo dey divided ova di mata – whether to force girls to cut dia hair or not.

Ghana Education Service say dem no go relax di rule now

But why education authorities still dey force girls to cut dia hair at dis time?

When dem dey allow oda students wey no be Africans to keep dia own hair?

Toktok pesin for di Ghana Education service Daniel Fenyi inside one interview wit BBC News Pidgin explain say "for Ghana students wey dey foreign kontris, dem dey treat dem as foreign students."

"Normally if you be international student, dem dey fit relax some of di in-house, local principles especially if dem no dey against di rules of di kontri, so di same tin dey apply to foreign students wey dey attend our schools for here."

Oga Daniel Fenyi say dis hair policy still dey to ensure "uniformity and discipline of our learners."

"Dis uniformity no be only about hair, but school uniform, shoes, time for dinner, time for prep, time for class – all dis tins na to ensure uniformity for di class so dat teachers no go dey deal wit individual taste and choice."

Di GES toktok pesin also respond to di group of pipo wey dey call for change of di policy at dis time.

"Today di debate be about hair, pipo dey suggest say make we allow cornrow, next time anoda group go ask why we no dey allow Brazilian hair, anoda group go ask for sometin else – at what point we go pause and say dis be di limit."

According to oga Daniel Fenyi, "if you relax di rule today, you go dey forced to relax am more tomorrow. In any case, wetin di parents dey recommend to us about cornrows, and braids and oda tins, all be part of regulation. Why we no go make girls feel comfortable for di current regulations instead of say we go relax di boundaries.?"

Human rights groups and oda CSOs dey advocate for rights of girls and everyone to manifest dia identity

For 2021, Ghana High Court order Achimota school to admit two Rastafarian students ( Tyrone Iras Marhguy and Oheneba Nkrabea) wey di school deny sake of his dreadlocks.

Di dreadlocks be manifestation of dia religion. Dis case cause plenty debate for social media.

Di court tok say di decision by di school to deny di boys admission dey against his rights.

According to di high court, to deny di students admission violate dia human rights to education and religious freedom, since di school rules no be compelling reason to overshadow di constitution of di kontri.

Di court also tok say di 1992 constitution of di kontri big pass school rules – so if di school go create rules, those rules gat to respect di constitution.

Experts say school rules neva for violate di rights of students as e dey inside di kontris constitution.

Executive director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah say di kontri for develop wetin he dey call "safeguarding policy to guide di way and manner school administrators dey do tins for di school system."

"If authorities want make students cut dia hair, dis safeguarding policy go provide wetin dem fit do and wetin dem no fit do, in order not to dey against di constitution and di children's act of Ghana," Bright Appiah tok BBC Pidgin.

According to him, "over di years, we dey do tins anyhow for di school system, depending on di religion and di faith of di pipo wey dey manage dis schools. You fit check and compare di Anglicans, Presbyterians, di Pentecostals, di Muslim community schools, and how dem dey administer discipline."

"We tink say if we allow dis kind tins, pipo fit to abuse dem sake of we no get any regulation or policy about dis mata. Some of di tins wey dey happun for our schools in di name of discipline, dey violate di rights of children, like to force a girl to cut her hair bifor she go enta high school…"

Why colonial masters force black girls to cut dia hair for high schools in di past

Many pipo dey tok about dis mata – some say time reach for schools to change dis colonial rules to allow African girls embrace dia own identity.

For Uganda, Nigeria and oda parts of Africa, dis old hair policy wey mission schools force onto African girls, affect some of di girls till now.

Dis schools allegedly introduce dis hair policy to show difference between mulattos and black girls – wey dem claim say natural hair be "ungodly and unkempt".

In fact, during di slave trade of many decades ago, di slave traders dey shave off di hair of di local pipo wey break tribal connections and spiritual links to dia homeland and ancestry.

According to historical records, dis kind tin force Africans to be obedient and to submit diaserf to western norms and culture.

Bifor colonial rule, di African natural hair get deep cultural and spiritual importance – but di hair policy clear all dis links.

Dis mindset remain for many institutions several decades afta di colonia masters comot Africa – di education system in particular still dey carry dis old policies like dia life depend on am.

Today high schools for Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria and odas still force 'short hair rules' for black girls as di legacy from di colonia era wey pass.

As a result, hair discrimination still dey happun for schools, workplaces, church and oda places for Africa.

Now pipo dey ask – time no reach say kontris for Africa go change and allow black girls manifest dia identity and allow dem to keep dia hair in school?