Update...

So, just over two years ago, I wrote a post entitled "When You Gonna Find a Nice Man and Settle Down?"  Well, it turns out that I agreed to do just that last Wednesday when I responded to this very eloquently delivered question:

Mural by Joel Bergner in London's Leake Street Tunnel

Readers, I am betrothed!

Boxed out!

The last time I got braid extensions, I cried!

I was 18, about to go to Uni, and I wanted a hairstyle I could manage without the help of my Gran. So why the tears? Well, (and I still feel pathetic admitting it, but) it was because my Mum and Granma decided to go Bad Cop/Bad Cop on me and ridicule my choice of hairstyle!

They made it very clear that no self-respecting, style-conscious young woman would be seen dead in the outdated, childish style of braids I wanted.  You see I wanted single, not too thick, box braids à la Brandy back in day. Unfortunately my mum and gran insisted on canerow braids à la Alicia Keys. Nothing wrong with that style but NOT want I wanted.  According to them my hair was way too thick for box braids, I have to add too much synthetic hair to my own and I'd end up looking stupid. Just the kinda encouragement you need for when you're about to move away from home!  The humiliation and frustration of supposedly being an adult and not being allowed a say on how I looked broke me that day, hence the waterworks.

                    

                        Brandy circa sometime in the 1990's -
                        What I wanted, minus the burnt ends   

 The style I was strong armed into getting -
Alicia Keys.

 

I hated the braids. They were thick, heavy and I couldn't style them the way I wanted to.  Not surprisingly they only lasted 2 weeks before I took them out and swore never to go there again!


Fast forward 11 years and....I finally went back there, a month ago. As the Queen of my Samba School (EXCITING HUH!! But more about that in a later post) I was having the most amazingly, beautiful costume made for me for Notting Hill Carnival.  The designer wanted big, long hair to go with his eye popping creation!  Hmmmm, up cropped dilemma one. If you've read my Phony or not to phony post, you'll know I prefer not wear hair pieces when I dance, and as you're now fully aware, the last time I had any hair like appendages attached to my own, the experience is not littered with fond memories.  What, to, do?

Do as you're told and OBEY, that's what!

You only get to be the Queen of my Samba school once and Notting Hill is our biggest event, so you goes hard, or you damn well goes home! Besides, I fancied a change, and bum length box braids were one hell of a change!

When You Gonna Get Yourself a Job?

While I'm in the UK, planning my next leg of world domination, I'm looking for regular work. A way to work smart, not hard. A way to pay the bills without breaking my back as I usually do.

My boyfriend, who is American, obviously recommends me to look at Craigslist. "There are a number of unusual creative jobs on there! I'm sure you'd find something interesting" he says.

So on I go...and this is what I find:

Well. This one was...interesting, just as I was expecting. I'm not entirely sure what constitutes a "crafty female" but I'm assuming that it's just your run of the mill lady person who doesn't mind making some light basic labour tasks. Naturally. Although I couldn't help but wonder whether one might have to undergo specific tests to monitor improvement before aforementioned "more complicated tasks" would be handed on. So many questions but defo something to follow up on.



Occasionally, on laundry day, I have been known to rebel against propriety and go commando. Never have I ever considered turning it into cash. Until now. However, in this time of iPhones and Skype, I'm not entirely sure why I would need to go out on laundry day, in public, in my old work team building T shirt and slippers to prove to a stranger that yes, all my pants are in the wash. But on closer inspection, I realised that although I am woman, I am also over 25 so don't have to worry about this mess anyway.

Hang on. One minute I'm not meant to be wearing knickers and the next I've not only got to wear them, but I've got to go and spend tens of pounds on brand names, just so this chancer can buy them off me? No thanks mate. I wonder if these two know each other though and have a kind of tag-team situation going on? Ahhh the questions...

 

I would like to meet the author of this post, just to find out for myself what his issues with his father were. Also, as this was categorised under "non-profit organisation", I love to discover exactly which NGO to google to get the link to the video because it sounds fantastical.


Having looked at these and really, really having a think about them, I asked my friends if they knew of any jobs going and found a receptionist placement through my friend's dad.  Thank you internet, but I think I'll stick to more old fashioned job acquiring techniques for the moment.






Karla
x

Black Girls Rock!

My name is Karla, and I am a Black Girl who Rocks.

This is how all of the honourees at BET's annual Black Girls Rock awards ceremony end their acceptance speeches. I know this because on a muggy Sunday September afternoon, I turned the channel over to Sky's BET during the ad break from a Friends episode, to watch a re-run from last year's awards show and an hour later I'm still watching, completely in love and inspired by all of these women.
From the recipients of the M.A.D Girls awards (Making A Difference) - motivated young women who take action to inspire their communities by doing things like creating Green superheroes and touring schools and leading workshops promoting the ethical agenda from age 7 (Brooklyn Wright), to Mary Pat Hector the 17 year old calling for teen activism to see that black youth in her community don't slip through the net - to Activism awards for Chicago based "Interrupter" Ameena Matthews, as well as living legends Queen Latifah and Patti Labelle.

The winner who inspired me to write this post, was the recipient of the Shot-Caller Award, Mara Brock-Akil, the producer and writer of Black led shows Girlfriends aka the "black Sex And The City" and new TV show Being Mary Jane starring Gabrielle Union from Bring It On fame and the first Black romantic interest in Friends). I don't know how many of you know this, but it is a dream to write a TV comedy series. I spent this last summer in the US where I am in the process of moving to researching and nest searching so I can chase this writing dream, starting with a course at the UCB in New York. I usually cite my inspirations as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler - incredible comedic writing talents who started out in improv like me, but that is because I feel a glaring absence of Black women to look up to, women who might be able to fulfill a similar role. Mara Brock-Akil's acceptance speech echoed my sentiments.

"Everywhere we turn, we see our beauty reflected. Unless you're Black. And a girl...And when there is an image that resembles us, oftentimes on closer inspection, it's not us..."

For as long as I can remember, I have been on a search for Black female comedians who speak the same language as me. A writer and comedian who from London, from a Jamaican family, who went to a private school (thank you John Whitgift Foundation and your bursars for funding my brain) and so doesn't subscribe to many of the stereotypes that mainstream media likes to perpetuate.

As I mentioned in this post, Youtube has been a great source of alternative voices, but I think there needs to be MOAR!!

And that, my friends, is my lifetime's mission. To be the Black Tina Fey. To be a new Hannah Pool aka the only English winner of a Black Girls Rock Award. To be the person I want to see in the world.

Wish me luck!

Lots of love,
Karla x

I found out what the hell Spike Lee was doing at the Vila Isabel quadra in Rio...!!

So as you'll all know from reading my posts, my friend Spike Lee showed up a couple of times to samba rehearsals at the samba school I paraded with, Vila Isabel.

Me and my mate Spike, hanging out

Now I know why...

He was scouting for his latest "joint", which turns out to be a film for something calling itself 'Pepsi Beats of the Beautiful Game'. The song, entitled "The Game" is sung by Miss Kelly Rowland, and video has a story of its own.

The video tells a fictional tale of a young football fanatic living in Vidigal (a favela in Rio's South Zone). "Pixote's Game"  stars my fellow passista, Pedro, as a 'John' (or a pimp, not quite sure...) as well as the mestre and other members of the bateria of Vila Isabel.

Watch it in all its glory below.

beijos,

Karla x

Reflections of a "Gringa Passista"

Hi gang.


I started writing this to you a right after the PARADE OF MY LIFETIME. But then life got in the way, Rio de Janeiro turned CRAZY in anticipation of the World Cup, and so it's only now that I'm sharing this with you. On my last night in Rio*.

On THE NIGHT! photo courtesy of Emily Ainsworth

Arriving here back in October, my mission was clear - to live the life of a Passista (samba dancer). If I didn't get in to parade with a samba school from the Grupo Especial (Special Group), I would at least go to their rehearsals and try to improve to increase my chances of one day being accepted. My ambitions were lofty, but the stars aligned and Unidos da Vila Isabel (my first choice) accepted me, and I started to live and love it. In fact, it's a Saturday night, two and a half months have passed, and I'm still getting my head around the fact that I don't need to start gathering my Show Things together for another night of sambão at the Vila Isabel quadra.

I know what you all want to know: how was the parade? How was it? You started learning samba when you were 19 and 10 years later you're parading with a samba school in the SPECIAL GROUP in Rio de Janeiro's SAMBADROME! Was it amazing? Was it? WAS IT???


In a word... No.

But, would I do it all over again?
In a freakin heartbeat.

Wait, wut?

With both hands!

Last month I spent the day at a seminar that has changed the way I think about life.  It was hosted by an amazing, inspirational woman, Sidra Jafri who shook me, and a room full of attendees, by the shoulders (not literally, but she might as well had) and told us to stop making excuses, break down those self imposed barriers and start opening our eyes and minds to the opportunities all around.

For a long time I've been really struggling to find some balance in my life.  There's been a whopping great imbalance between immersing myself in things that I love but that have become safe, vs those that I need WANT to do for myself, but require more work, and are all together more scary. It's left me feeling like I've lost a bit of myself, and the sense of detachment from achieving some of my goals have left me frustrated and sad at times.

After Sidra's workshop, I've felt more at ease with myself and my situation, and I've been more aware and capable of changing what I don't like. One thing that she positively branded onto my mind is this: when the Universe, God, life or what ever higher being/purpose you do or don't believe, in drops an opportunity at your feet you, you pick it up! DON'T waste it through fear or doubt.  Last week I had a great lesson in this.

My Wednesday last week turned from being a normal humpday to a good day and then great a day.  Why? Because I let it - simple.  I woke up feeling good. My plan was straighforward enough, to have a morning run (I've had runners block for nearly a year) and this was going set me up for a day of writing.   But before I had even left the house for that run, the Universe had already been conspiring to make this Wednesday into a goodun.

Politics of Afro Hair

This year I missed out the on Women of the Women (WOW) Festival at Southbank Centre :(.

Weave vs Natural debate at the WOW Festival 2013

Last year, it was awesome.  Three days of talks, seminars and debates about the issues that face women today.  One of the things I made sure not to miss out on last year was Weave vs Natural? The Politics of Afro Hair. While I'm eagerly awaiting this year's Weave vs 
Natural discussion from WOW 2014 to be uploaded to Youtube, I found this warm up
discussion from BBC4's Women's Hour last Thursday. Journalist Hannah Pool, who chaired last 
year's and this year's Black Hair discussion at WOW, debating the topic of with Black hair with hair 
and make-up artist Editi Udofot. Find out what the ladies had to say about Weave vs Natural HERE.



Kanika x

The Chronicles of a “Gringa” Passista ptII

Vila Isabel in the Sambadrome from 2012

Guys, I am exhausted.

These past couple of weeks, I have mostly been not sleeping.

I am teaching English here in Rio, which I enjoy very much, but irregular working hours to coincide with students' regular working hours means lots of travelling, useless hours missing from my day and very little time for effective daytime napping.

But mostly to blame is samba. Carnaval is soon approaching and boy don't we know it. Before Christmas, rehearsals were Wednesday and Saturdays. Now there has now been a Sunday rehearsal added into the mix. Last week, Tuesday evening was for rehearsing in Sapucai, aka the Sambadrome aka the passarela (catwalk). The hallowed Avenida that sambistas sing about all year round in the run up to this one time of year they are able to show the world what they've got. They are able to be whoever they want to be. The Avenida is where dreams are made, and in my case, come true.

Edson, the Director of the Passistas 

So one Sunday after a street rehearsal (my favourite kind), the Director Edson (left) told us all we needed to be at the Sambadrome at 19:00 in our blue and white to practice with the bateria (drumsssss). I don't know if you know, but dancing with a bateria is maybe one of my favourite things to do in the whole world. And I was about to practice with this school I loved, on the same ground I've seen from the stands and on YouTube and on pirate Carnaval DVDs. And when I stepped onto it in my heels, I felt overcome with emotion and pride.

Fancy Feet

Fresh from the Quadra (base) of Vila Isabel samba school yesterday night (25th January), here she is, Miss Karla-Jayne Thomas working her magic.

Video by Orquidea Lima Felgueiras

Very, very proud girl! Wish I could be there to watch you at Carnaval!


Kanika xx

The Chronicles of a "Gringa" Passista

First things first, I don't like being called 'Gringa'. A Gringa or Gringo, is a boorish outsider, willingly ignorant to the ways of the place they are visiting... but I've accepted to a point that a "Gringa passista" is how people will see me  - and indeed refer to me - initially, once they realise that not only am I not from the neighbourhood of Vila Isabel, but I'm not from Rio. In fact, I'm not even from Brazil. But here I am.

I'm sure some of you have been wondering what I've been up to recently. You knew I came to Rio but then apparently disappeared (and for that I apologise). So what am I doing here?

Since 2009, when I started dancing with the London School of Samba (LSS), I've watched videos of amazing passistas (samba dancers) making this complicated dance look so easy and graceful and magical. I wanted to be them. I chose Rio's Vila Isabel samba school because I liked what it stood for: history, tradition, love and samba. I had been invited to audition for Unidos da Tijuca – another incredible, prize winning school, known for its constant innovation and explosive parades. However, as a dancer, there was always something about the passistas that I didn't quite connect with. At Vila, I would always see a variety of styles, elegant sensuality but mainly ferocious samba no pé (basic samba step). And as for the male dancers, the malandros,... I have no words. So yes, Vila Isabel was my first choice. The perfect place to grow, learn and improve on what I'd learned from my amazing dance teachers in London. As champion of Carnaval 2013, Vila Isabel was probably the most ambitious one to try, but there I was, trying anyway.

I arrived at the quadra (samba school's base) of Vila Isabel one Wednesday in October for an ensaio communidade (community rehearsal) with my boyfriend by my side for support. My aim – lofty as heck – was to find whoever was in charge of the ala passista (passista section) and convince them to let me join and parade in Carnaval 2014.

I found the Director, Edson, and introduced myself.
“My name is Karla, I'm here from London and I just want to know what it would take to join the passistas and dance with you guys.”

He first suggested that I could take samba classes, some of the passistas were teachers and I could have lessons from them. But I glanced at my boyfriend (who had earlier told me to not be afraid to big myself up “fake it til you make it, babe”) so I looked Edson in the eye and said “Oh, I KNOW how to samba...” After a beat, he told me that there isn't an exam to be a passista for Vila – you just have to show him what you can do. Show him that you're worth it.

“Mostra, e eu vejo.” - Bring it and I'll see...

So the following Saturday, this time with my friend Natasha and soul sister Ana, I dressed up, put my heels on and went to a Feijoada (a party where the traditional Brazilian dish is served) in the quadra. Edson had told me that it would start at 14:00. I arrived at 17:00 (this was Rio after all).

The show started at 19:00. This Carioca timing does take some getting used to...

Once the bateria (drum section) started, the passistas created a roda (dance circle) and each entered to shine. When they were done, Edson came over and invited me into the circle with a male passista for company. It was all a blur. I had been worrying about slipping out of my shoes and making sure the fly on my shorts didn't come down but the second the beat came in, I let the rhythm of the bateria take me because, YOLO. I went for it. Danced my heart out. I didn't realise it until the end when I looked up, that the women were smiling at me and Edson, unsmiling, was nodding his head. At the end of the roda, I went over to ask what he thought.

“Come on Wednesday. 20:00. Wear blue and white – little shorts or a skirt and bring high heels.” #Proud #Nailedit #OMGWHATdoIwear!?

After a rehearsal. Sweaty and happy.
Photo courtesy of Joel Bergner via Instagram

Since then, I've gone to every rehearsal. Wednesdays for the community rehearsal with all of the alas; and Saturdays for the shows (except one as I was visiting Salvador). It's important to show dedication, and there is a register for you to sign to make sure you're there. Miss two rehearsals with no valid excuse and you, dear dancer, are OUT. The shows are always amazing and this close to carnival there are often celebrities visiting, Like the time Seu Jorge waltzed in with Spike Lee, later followed by Mart'Nalia. Other samba schools visit too. Since I joined, we've hosted samba schools such as Cubango, Innocentes de Belford Roxo, as well as a carnival party to which 17 schools attended and Carlinhos do Salgueiro and his Acadêmicos do Salgueiro dancers brought this...

                                       
                                                     Video by Karla-Jayne Thomas

Yesterday (Saturday, 18^th January) I realised pretty early in the day that I wouldn't be able to dance that night, but I knew I had to go anyway to show my face and sign that damned register. When I arrived, there was a LOT of commotion, cameras and clevage. The competition to elect the Gay Queen (Rainha Gay) of Rio was to take place in the quadra of Vila. Many of Rainhas of samba schools from all over Rio were there as judges, including Ana Paula Evangelista (Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel), Raissa de Oliveira (Beija Flor), Sabrina Sato (Vila Isabel, of course), Patricia Nery (Portela) and Carla Prata (Rocinha). Rainhas or Queens are highlight dancers who act as Muse for the bateria, dancing in front of them during shows and parades.

During the break in the competition (which was incredible and glamorous, by the way) the bateria played some classic enredos (samba songs) and some of the queens came down to dance in the middle of them. I always feel dejected when I think about how many queens pay for the privilege of being there, but there was a moment when Raissa de Oliveira was dancing with the caixa section, singing all of the words to an old Mocidade enredo (Vira, Virou for you samba geeks) and Ana Paula joined her, that I saw all the pure joy and elation that samba brings to me. I felt it while I was queen of the London School of Samba at every gig, and ultimately it's what led me here to Rio.

So what if I have to work a little harder to prove myself to the Carioca passistas at Vila (most of whom are extremely nice) because I'm new and because I'm not from there. So what if I have to work a little harder to get Edson to pick me out to dance solos like the other girls. So, I have to root around Rio to find the shoes they wear or to find a seamstress that they seemingly all have had since birth but can never remember the names of. But I will do it. Because I love it.


Karla x

Outside comfortable

This little nugget I found it thanks to @leannerimes while perusing twitter, will be making its way to a wall near me asap.

Being comfortable and sticking with what you know will not get you what you want to achieve.  I know this, we all know this right, and somehow it's something that many of us have to constantly remind ourselves.
I know for sure that I could do with a daily reminder of this.




Kanika x

Catching up

It's official!  In 2013 I was living under a rock.

There's no two ways about it, it's the only explanation for how I could have missed something like this - last year's TEDxEuston talk 'We should all be Feminists', by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie...what the fudge?!

Flashback to this time last month and the world seemed to gasp a collective OMFGWTF! in response to Beyonce's eponymous 5th album drop.  In between all the chatter and hyperventilating (yep, hands up, I was feverishly trying to get a glimpse of the new material too), I came across  'Flawless' on which Queen Bey samples extracts from 'We should all be Feminists'.

My knowledge of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was limited.  I knew that the Nigerian author had been nominated for and won a bunch of awards for her writing, but that was it. Then, I remembered co-blogger Karla tweeting me a link to an interview of Chimamanda's last year but, I hadn't read it. My bad, I should have!

A still from the Flawless video

At this point consider my face poked out from under my rock, head cocked ready to listen, my interest was piqued.  In We should all be Feminists Chimamanda talks about her experiences as a feminist and how equality between genders (good ol' feminism) is beneficial to us all. For me her speech is spot on. In it she references issues like the gender stereotypes that we impose on our children and how these unnecessary pressures can go on to hinder our development as adults and as a society as a whole.  Discussing the preconceptions she's faced as an African woman outside of her home country and a woman at home in Nigeria, Chimamanda manages to be funny and engaging.


In the past Beyonce has received a lot of flack for not being a 'good' feminist role model. Everything from her appearance to the content of her work and the fact that she's not an intellectual have been dissected to add weight to this critique. Despite some previous apparent hesitance to identity as a feminist Beyonce's recent body of *work isn't leaving us guessing about her feelings towards the F word. Either way I think it's pretty awesome that she sampled We should all be feminists.  Being featured on the fastest selling album on iTunes to date can only help bring the talk and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to a swathe of people who may not have seen it first time round. And if it leads to more people engaging in the gender equality debate, this can only be a good thing in my humble opinion.

*UPDATE -  Last Thursday (9th Jan) the latest Shriver report by Maria Shriver and the Center of American Progress was published with contributions from the likes of Beyonce, Hilary Clinton and Jada Pinkett-Smith, all penning essays in support of gender equality.  You can download the report in full and read the essays HERE for free until 15th Jan.


Kanika x

Blast from the past

Last year one of my friends gave me a copy of The Black Hairdressing and Beauty Training Manual by Hyacinth Jarrett.  I love poring over old books, photos etc and especially because of the subject matter I was all over this book.

Most of the styling in The Black Hairdressing and Beauty Training Manual takes you right back to the 80s and so, I assumed that it would be full of outdated and non natural hair friendly info. I was wrong.  

Make-up tutorial for Skin tone no.2 Medium Olive (left) and Skin tone no.3 Dark brown (right)

Black hairdressers don't always get a good wrap in the Natural Community and unfortunately a lot of the criticisms thrown in their direction are not unfounded. Instances of ignorance, unprofessionalism and down right shocking customer treatment are definitely not unique to Black hairdressers, but they're not as uncommon as they should be. Who hasn't heard a cautionary tale or experienced themselves salon treatments gone wrong, or stylist's that don't seem to know or, perhaps worse, care about what they are doing to a client's hair? It's for reasons like this that I and many other curly girls surfing the Natural Hair Movement have stared away from stylists.  

When it comes to hair, I'm of the opinion that if it's growing out of my body I should know how to look after it better than anyone else, and if I don't, I'll learn! If I want hair advice I don't look to stylists or magazines or even female relatives, I go to the 'Net.  I look to women, many of whom don't have formal hairdressing qualifications but who, through lots of research, trial and error and patience are walking around with awesome healthy heads of hair.

The Black Hairdressing and Beauty Training Manual made me check some of my assumptions about Black hairdressing.  Although there isn't much information specifically about natural hair care, there is lots about basic salon hair and beauty from the scientific breakdown of treatments to how to provide proper client consultations and even how to successfully set up and run a hair care business. The Black Hairdressing and Beauty Training Manual has the all information that you would expect to be a standard part of hairdresser training, but from previous visits to salons where some of the stylists seemed to lack basic hair care knowledge and customer services, it makes you wonder.  

Good hair?

Ever wondered why Black women are obsessed by hair...well, some of us are, more than others ;). How and why anyone would spend prolonged periods of time thinking or writing about their hair?

Intrigued, or just plain confused, let me take you by the hand child and explain.


Before the new year BBC2 aired Good Hair, a 2009 documentary about Black hair by Chris Rock. Now, if the idea of spending an hour and a half watching Chris Rock navigate the world of Black hair sounds like your idea of hell, stay with me.  Good Hair is a lighthearted, funny and enlightening look at the complicated and intricate topic that is Black hair.

Good hair itself is a loaded term, a hang up from African slavery in the Americas which is still used to denote hair that is supposedly more 'European' in appearance.  Slaves who looked or acted less 'African' were favoured over those who didn't, and all aspects of Africaness were deemed inferior.

Simply explained,

Good hair = long, thick, loose curls or straight, shiny, manageable, like European hair.

Bad hair = short, nappy aka tightly curled, dull, unmanageable, like African hair.

I'll admit that unless you're a Black women the subject of Black hair is pretty confounding.   On the surface it might seem niche and superficial, but in trying to deconstruct the topic, Good Hair delves into an issue that's a symptom of systemic denigration of people of African descent and their culture that sadly didn't end with the abolition of slavery.  Sounds deep huh, and it is.

Chris Rock interviewing a little girl getting a Relaxer

I thought I knew a lot about Black hair when I first watched Good Hair 4 years ago, but I didn't know for example that in the US the Black hair industry is worth upwards of $9Billion, yep Billion, or that some US women fly across states to get their hair done! As a life long Relaxer virgin I don't know what it felt like to have a Relaxer, a solution derived from caustic Sodium Hydroxide that's applied to your hair and scalp in order to straighten curls.  Seeing the affect Sodium Hydroxide has on chicken flesh and on metal as well as descriptions of the likes of Nia Long, the Rev Al Sharpton and other interviewees, that it's akin to your skull being on fire was enough to vow to keep me relaxer free for life!

If you're not black is it relevant? Well hair is part of your appearance, your identity.  As an individual if you were subconsciously and implicitly told that part of your identity was unacceptable and unattractive it would become a deep rooted internal issue no? Worse still, if these messages are relayed to a group of people to the point were they themselves began to police and subjugate their own community in an attempt to keep everyone in line, imagine the long lasting impact.  It's something that we have all probably experienced to an extent at some point in our lives regardless of background.  Whether it's your hair, body, sexuality, religion or life achievements, we're all taught we should be striving towards some sort of ideal. How successfully we do so dictates our self worth and affects our position in the world.

'Hair as a metaphor for life', yeah why not! So watch Good Hair, if nothing else it'll explain why you should never, under any circumstances touch a Black woman's hair without asking!

            

You can watch the first part of Good Hair by clicking the link above (sorry, could not find a better quality version in full and without subtitles, but if you're trying to brush up on your French, win win!). This video channel has uploaded the doc in 6 parts so when the end of video screen comes up just look for Good Hair part 2-6 and so forth until part 6-6.



Kanika x

Happy 2014!

Come on 2014 give us what you got!

Couldn't agree with you more Winston

However the last 12 months have shaped up for you, wishing you all a fantastic 2014.

Don't know why but we've got a feeling it's gonna be a goodun!


Karla & Kanika x