Cameroon Teens Go Wild For Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks, a hairstyle that used to be mostly associated with reggae artists and fans, is fast becoming a hairstyle for many Cameroonian youths.

Dreadlocks were common with reggae musicians like Bob Marley and Lucky Dube, who used their music as a weapon for change. As most of them were revolutionists, they were considered to be radicals and violent inclined.

More or less, people who keep this hairdo have often been regarded with suspicion or tagged rascals. But recently, it seems dreadlocks is a style fast gaining grounds among youths.

But a survey recently conducted by The Post shows that many youngsters in Bamenda, in particular, now keep dreadlocks as a hairstyle.

Footballers and stars, The Post learnt, have influenced the new craze for dreadlocks among youths.According to a Bamenda based hair dresser, dreadlocks is done on natural (virgin) hair. According to her, for hair which is short, it is done by curling the hair with a towel or the hair is washed with detergent, eggs and Guinness.

In the case of hair which is long, it is plaited and can be kept for a very long time. Some people are known to have kept dreadlocks for decades while others for a short period, especially those on holidays. The plaited dreads are sometimes decorated with cowries, which gives the individual a weird look.

Some youths in Bamenda, who have taken to the dreadlocks craze, said it is just a hairstyle they enjoy. A boy popularly known as "Corneille" said, keeping dreads is just like any hairstyle and that he is emulating his icon, Cornielle. He said he does not mind if he is considered a rascal because, to him, looks do not reflect a person's character.

Another youth, whose only name she gave as Sandrine, 20, said the hairstyle fits her and she likes to be known as a crazy girl. She is also of the opinion that looks do not reflect a person, though some youths keeping dreads are really vandals.

Some of the youths, mostly girls, justified their choice of dreadlocks arguing that it is less expensive to keep them and that it stays for a longer period than any other style. Nevertheless, most parents who spoke to The Post had their misgivings about dreadlocks. According to them, dreadlocks and rascality are closely associated.

A mother of four in Bamenda said dreadlocks signify rascality. She argued that a calm and responsible boy cannot take to keeping dreadlocks. To her, a boy with dreads is a sure consumer of marijuana or a drug addict and a bandit.


The Reggae News Agency

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