A silent echo of colonialism still hums through the school gates

It remains one of Africa’s unspoken absurdities that young girls must cut their natural hair to access education. Nowhere in Europe, Asia, or the Americas is a child’s intellect measured by the length of her curls. Yet across parts of Africa, the colonial blade still trims identity in the name of discipline.

Hair hygiene begins in the home, not at the barber’s chair. The inconvenient truth is that curly hair was never the problem, our mindset is. Curly has been made to seem chaotic, while straight is seen as success. The result is a global irony worth 12 billion dollars annually, as the fake hair economy thrives while the African girl’s natural pride is shaved away.

This is not about hairstyles, it is about heritage. When we trim culture to fit colonial comfort, we breed generations that admire imitation more than authenticity. Let us rethink what we call neatness. Let the classroom celebrate intellect, not conformity.

Because the scissors may cut the hair, but it must never cut the confidence, dignity, and identity of the African girl.

By Professor Douglas Boateng
Social Entrepreneur | Governance and Industrialisation Strategist/Advocate