Voice 1 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid. Voice 2 And I'm Joshua Leo. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1 "Do you know why you are lucky to have this head of hair?" a mother asks her daughter. "Because it is beautiful and you can wear it any way you choose." The mother and daughter are African Americans. They are characters in a children's book called "I Love My Hair." Hair is an important part of African American culture. Today's Spotlight is on African American hair. Voice 2 African Americans are a group of people who live in the United States of America. Their ancestors are from the continent of Africa. Many of their ancestors came to America as slaves. In two thousand eight, African Americans were about thirteen percent of the population of the United States. They are a very important part of the culture of the United States. But African Americans continue to face many problems because of racism. People often judge African Americans by how they look, including skin colour and hair type.
Voice 1 Most Africans have hair that is very tightly curled. The hair is round and stays close to the head. But Africans have many kinds of hair. Some people have tight curls. Some have looser curls. And they also wear their hair in many different ways.
Voice 2 African American hair has different styles and traditions than hair on the continent of Africa. This is mainly because of the different history of African people in America. In American history, white American culture had the most power in the country. Many white Americans wore their hair straight. This influenced the hair styles of African American women. In the past, most African American women wore their hair straightened. Many people thought this long straight hair style was the "best" style of hair. Voice 1 There was a time in the nineteen sixties and seventies when it was popular for African Americans to have a different hair style. The style was called natural. This means that a person did not straighten their hair. At this time in American history, African Americans were fighting to gain equal rights in America. African Americans wanted to show their pride and freedom. They showed this through their hair. Many people wore "afros." This hairstyle is when African hair is combed out around the head.
Voice 2 Some people still wear their hair naturally. The "afro" hair style is less popular now. But people with natural hair often put their hair in braids or other ways of tying the hair back. Many cultures in Africa also do this with hair. There are many traditions of beauty and culture in African hair. Many African Americans want to remain connected to their African culture. One way they do this is by wearing their hair naturally or in a traditional style.
Voice 1 But today long straight hair styles are still popular. Many African American women feel that people will not give them as much respect if their hair is not straight. If you look at modern, famous African American women, they mostly have straight hair! This includes Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles and Michelle Obama.
Voice 2 In general, African Americans spend a great deal of time and money on their hair. This is especially true for women. It is not easy to make African hair straight. There are some different ways to do this. People often use a hair product for styling and to make their hair healthy. Chris Rock is a famous African American actor and film director. In 2009, he made a film about the culture of African American hair. It is called "Good Hair." In the film, Chris Rock looks at the business of African American hair products. It is a 9 billion dollar industry.
Voice 1 One popular product is called "relaxer." It makes very curly hair straight. Many African Americans use relaxer. This is even though the relaxer contains strong chemicals. These chemicals can burn the users' head and ears. Voice 2 Another popular product is a "weave". With a weave, people add more hair to their head. A person adds pieces of hair into their real hair to make it look longer. A weave can be over part of the head or over the whole head. It can take many hours to attach a weave and it often costs a lot of money.
Voice 1 Most women go to a hair salon to have their hair done. This is a place where trained people cut, relax, braid and weave hair. Many people say that a hair salon is the second most important social meeting place for African Americans - after church. Men have their own separate barber shops. There, people style hair but they also talk and talk with each other. Hair brings families and neighbours together in the African American community.
Voice 2 Most people also spend a lot of time doing their hair at home. Many African American parents, especially mothers, spend a lot of time doing their children's hair. Within the African American community, people consider it to be very important for children to have healthy hair. This time spent combing and braiding is a good time to talk. It is a way for parents to show children that they love and care for them. In a busy culture, this is a very important time to spend with children.
Voice 1 The children's book "I Love My Hair" is about a little girl who has her hair done many different ways. It shows the many beautiful styles of African American hair. She talks about all the reasons why she loves her hair. This is important because some people do not consider very tightly curled hair be "good hair." But like the girl in the book, many people agree that beauty comes in many different forms. This should be especially true for Christians. God made each individual person on earth. He put beauty in every person, with every kind of body, skin and hair.
Voice 2 At the end of "I Love My Hair" the little girl is full of hope for the future. And at the end of the film "Good Hair," Chris Rock looks forward to showing his daughters the beauty of their African hair. Hair is socially important for many people. It may be more important for African Americans because it represents their minority culture. It shows the values of pride and tradition. It also lets people express their individuality. African American hair styles will change as the years pass. But hair will remain an important part of African American history and culture.
Voice 1 The writer of today's programme was Rena Dam. The producer was Joshua Leo. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes have been adapted for this program and voiced by spotlight. You can find this and other Spotlight programmes on our website at http://www.radio.english.net. This programme is called "African American Hair". Voice 2 If you have a question or comment about this program You can email us at radio @ english . net. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
