I Faced Discrimination Because of My Dreads -Raskimono

Talking about who Ras Kimono is in Africa and in the Nigerian music industry, the rastaman needs no introduction. Born in one of the roughest towns in Nigeria, Ajegunle, he’s one of the best reggae acts the country has ever produced. Enjoy his hair experience on today’s Hair Ways.

When did you decide to start keeping dreadlocks?
Ah! It’s not something I decided on my own. I’m a rastaman from birth. So, it’s a gift from God, which has become my identity. How do you keep it clean?
Since it’s my natural hair, all I do is visit the salon once a week to get it washed. I also use natural shampoo to keep it clean.

Can you cut your dreadlocks for any reason?
Are you Delilah?

What about tinting it from black to, maybe, gold?
No, I can’t tint it for anything in the world! I’m not a fashion freak and I live a decent lifestyle.
How did your parents feel about you being a rastaman?
Since I was born with it, they didn’t object to it when I was still young. But when I grew older and they noticed I was still keeping it, they weren’t happy. They talked against it but when they saw that I neither smoke nor drink, they decided to let me be.
As an artiste, have you faced any discrimination as a rasta?
At first, yes. You know the Nigerian environment where rastas are seen as dirty and lesser humans, people never wanted to have anything to do with me. If I were some other artiste, they’d always tie a scarf on it. I faced discrimination from fellow artistes too. But as it went on, everything changed. Lice on your head? Head lice is a common problem, especially among children. The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on tiny amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. They’re contagious and can be hard to get rid of. Lice aren’t dangerous. Don’t worry, you can’t contact diseases from them if you have them. Although because they get itchy and can tempt you to scartch, it can lead to infection.