ARTS + CULTURE
The Ancient History of Box Braids, Revealed on OkayAfrica’s ‘Crowns of Africa’
Episode two of OkayAfrica’s four-part video series explores the centuries-old tradition of hair braiding, dating back to southern Africa.
OkayAfrica’s new four-part video series explores different braiding styles from across Africa.
by Jefferson Harris, for OkayAfrica
Thousands of years before Janet Jackson popularized the term box braids, women and young ladies in southern Africa were rocking the hairstyle. Jackson’s gorgeously braided hair in the classic film Poetic Justice brought a heightened level of visibility to a hairstyle that has been part of African and black communities for centuries, and is now so mainstream that many non-black celebrities have been spotted with it.
In the second episode of OkayAfrica’s four-part series, Crowns of Africa, the ancestral story behind box braids is explored. “The earliest evidence of the style was found in South Africa around 3500 BCE,” OkayAfrica Social Media Reporter Zinhle Ngema shares. The time-consuming nature of making braids and its priciness have always been fixtures. “Back in the day, being able to afford the time and the price of the style signified great wealth, accomplishment, and status.”
Mbali, an independent hair braider in Johannesburg, shares how she learnt to braid through her mother’s expertise with her hair and playing around with different shapes and sizes of cornrows. “My least favorite hairstyle to do is knotless braids because they take way too long,” she says.
Similar to episode one of Crowns of Africa, Fatima, the owner of Hanifa African Hair Braiding salon in New York, walks viewers through the process of making knotless braids. Fatima describes knotless braids as “the hairstyle of the moment,” and explains the use of gel to make lines for the braids, and finishing touches like momentarily soaking the braid ends in warm water to give that hairstyle a “more natural effect.”
You can watch episode one of Crowns of Africa below:
