10/06/2024
DEBUNKING THE MYTHS AROUND WAISTBEADS
I've long wanted to talk about the controversy surrounding waist beads, especially after a video surfaced of a lady who used to charm men through them. She said the waistbeads she used to wear were charmed with spells by witchdoctors for the sole purpose of trapping men in a promiscuous cycle.
I've had questions come my way about the subject, so I'd like to give my version of the story.
First, it's noteworthy that a lot of African adornments, knowledge, rituals, stories were demonized under colonialism, and then we drifted into a deep slumber under the hypnosis of new religions and the newcomer’s gospel symphonies. After waking up to a new song, we suffered collective dementia regarding our past. Then slowly we began a journey of healing. Finally, we were totally healed but the problem was, anyone seeming to have memory of that past was viewed with suspicion, and shunned. During my cultural roots connection (I sometimes sidestep the term "research" to avoid sounding academic, not to mean academic is wrong, far from it). I came across a granny who told me she had a prophetic gift but could not practice it for fear of "kûmw'a mûambanî” (dismissal from the church council). The dismissal is not the problem, the issue was being lonely because her age mates would shun her. A while back, while in the company of Writer and Theatre Maker Muraya, one beautiful African night, Arts Producer Hirst told us one of the most heartbreaking stories I've heard of the colonial period. It was a story told by her mother about how their community was forced to remove their adornments and clothes. In the Pre-Colonial era, wearing of clothes used to be an affair in the African communities, one of wrapping, tying and adorning, and lo! it was a beautiful sight to behold. Then suddenly after being subtly coerced to accepted Christianity, which after all, seemed not a hassle to them, were surprised one day with the message that their clothes were heathen and that the believers would have to discard their heathen attire in exchange for "rindas" (gowns)which ended up making them kind of uniformed. These new "rindas" required no creativity at all to wear as one would just slip inside them; that was not a worry, the climax of the story, which disturbed me for quite sometime (you'd think it was the killing of a kin but no), was when they were told their cooking pots were a hindrance to their faith. “This is the only time I saw my mother cry”, said Sheba’s mother. Remember, cooking to African women was an art, an important daily cultural ritual, which involved cleaning of the pots and preparing different dishes. There was also another interesting myth around the pot, girls believed they could whisper the names of their loved ones “crushes” and somehow manifest the lov
e of their dreams. She wondered what the pots had ever done to anyone, as she saw them being broken down, breaking the spirit of an already submissive soul. And that is how one way or another, demonization of the African way of life was perpetuated in various communities. I trust you're with me at this point. Beads, which were of great essence to the woman, lost significance, especially the waist beads, which could no longer been seen, as before when they adorned one of the essential body part, the waist.
Now the discourse has turned against the wearing of the beads, with opponents saying they are used to charm or hook men. First of all, with or without beads, a lady has the power to charm men with their natural phenomena, and if need be, go the extra mile. It’s not only waist beads which can be used, but even food, greetings, drinks etc. so, I find it unfair to labour the point on waist beads.
I've also heard some say they are private and should not be exposed, I say, leave that decision to the wearer, where it squarely belongs. Remember they used to be adorned openly until the new clothes made that impossible. Just because some are proud and bold enough to wear them, openly exposing them, we don’t have to crucify them.
Waist beads are an essential adornment for the feminine. Long ago many communities used to have men wearing them, only that in today's world it's no longer right to do so.
I was told by one elder that the beads used to help men be in touch with their feminine side, since young men were warriors. But in today’s world the normal diet and chemicals have brought war to the man's testosterone, making it a race to recover it.
Waist beads have been said to help maintain the posture of a lady, especially if she works for long hours while seated. Just like the rosary, the Islamic beads, or the Buddhists’ mala beads, they're said to help a lady manifest the desires of her heart, that is, by them constantly caressing her waist, she gets to be in regular remembrance of her wishes thereby pray, meditate and so help in bridging the gap between her and the outcome. These adornments also help ladies watch their weight, in that when they tighten one knows it’s about time they hit the gym. And lastly, waist beads are the absolute intimate accessories of a woman, and that alone, justifies them. Remember, just as the neck, wrist, ears and nose are adorned, the waist deserves no less, as it is one of the most defining body part of the woman. So, let's approach criticism with care and self-reflection of our past, while presently looking into the future.
