Nwanne M Nwaanyị

Hairstyling is such a tender practice. It is the first art form I learnt from my mum, grandmother, and sisters.

“Nwanne M Nwaanyị,” the title of this series, means ‘sister’ in my mother tongue, the Igbo language. The hair salon is a sanctuary where, in the in-between and the undone, we finally get to be soft when we are expected to be so much more everywhere else. Through this lens, the series seeks to see my sisters, both blood and spiritual, in hopes of finally seeing myself.

Though first born in the hair salon, this journey has extended to so many other spaces that mirror myself back to me. Even after leaving my mum’s village in Imo, Nigeria, I continue to call back to the roots that built me and the women who came before me, creating portals across oceans that reflect how we carry, shape, and reimagine ourselves through hair, culture, ritual and how we tend to each other across the diaspora. I search for reflections of myself and of sisterhood everywhere I go, navigating what it feels like to exist in our bodies away from home and in every place in between. This is a call not only to the motherland, but also to every place I have ever called home.

Our roots are our lifelines. Amidst the whispers of grief and the cries of hope, I hum the hymns of my mother’s mother, a tune known only to Igbo women. Today, I sing this song for us all.

Bold style: Chiemeka Offor is part of »Guest Room: Sarah Lewis & Jessica Stark«