World Hijab Day

I will not cover my head in black because I am already black. If I wear black, I will disapear!

Iya A.

Iborun literally “something used to cover the neck” is the most common head covering I have seen among older Yoruba Muslim women during Programs (weddings, religious gatherings, naming ceremonies, burial, prayers, etc.).

The light polyester, sometimes see-through, the fabric is often embroidered with flowers and beads. The size of it is big enough to be wrapped around the head and breast and cascade over the shoulder.

It is usually worn over a gele, a head-tie in the same material and patterns as the gown.

The first time I went into the city to buy a hijab, I was overly conscious of my bare head, thinking about what the sellers would think of me. When I tried on my first hijab, sky-blue with sparkling stones, I was surprised to hear the young women who helped me adjust it:

“Ma! You look so beautiful, keep it, don’t take it off!”

And then I realised: when was the last time I heard discussions about hijab and beauty in French? Are our public spaces, media and politics so preoccupied with issues of oppression/freedom, religion/secularism, that we forget the basics of beauty practices, of fashion?

From the beginning of my fieldwork, it was clear that issues of beauty and fashion were deeply intertwined with piety in the way women (both Muslim and Christian) covered their heads. The International Hijab Day became an excuse for me to start open discussions with the women around me.

Keep posted for the work on Beauty Practices and Head Corvering we are doing with my colleague Adejoke Rafiat Adetoro

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