LOC’D AND LOADED

Jonathan Caleb Bunting-Williams
Nov 24, 2019
4 min read

Growing up in Sierra Leone, having dreadlocks has always been associated with marijuana or having “low morals”, so it hasn’t always been accepted in society. The presentation of self is very important when it comes the way people perceive you- hair being a part of that. That is why a lot of people especially women) spend an unbelievable amount of time trying to treat their hair. With that, for men having low-cut hair is the acceptable look and anything beyond that is frowned upon, irrespective of the individual’s cleanliness. Anything other than a low-cut look is deemed as essentially unprofessional.

With the resurgence of the natural hair movement, we are now seeing more women and people in general embracing/wearing their natural hair in different forms – locs, afros, and everything that falls in between and it’s beautiful to see. However, I’m not sure how much of this progress affects the older generation because when I told my parents of my intentions of getting locs, it was like I had killed someone. Most arguments against dreadlocks had Christian roots. Needless to say, I’ve ignored all those “inputs” about how getting locs is a bad thing and I’m proudly loc’d.

WHY LOCS ??????

I haven’t always been a fan of dreadlocks myself and that had a lot to do with my environment. I remember visiting my cousin in the UK for the first time after years of not seeing each other. Saw him at the airport and to my utter disappointment, he had dreadlocks on. The excitement I had literally drained from my body. But most importantly, I was disappointed because what I had been led to believe that anyone with dreadlocks was someone who had gone off the rails, someone with negative values.

What was ironic about that incident was that even as a child I always liked growing my hair and hated getting my hair cut. One time, we had to have our pictures taken in school and I decided to grow my hair for a couple of months so I could have a little afro. Little did I know my mum had different plans and demanded I got my little fro cut off. Whenever I could I’d let my hair grow and towards the end of secondary school, I started considering getting locs done.

THE INFAMOUS PICTURE OF MY BIG HEAD!!!!

There were long periods of time where I’d let my hair just breathe without combing it or keeping it neat. I went back and forth on getting it done and then finally I moved to the Gambia where there is a larger dreadlock community compared to Sierra Leone. I stayed in the Gambia for about 6 months, and during my time there I had an opportunity to ask lots of questions to people with dreadlocks. I also started to actively do research about the history and heritage of dreadlocks. I decided to get mine done because it made me feel better about myself. I knew in getting it done, I was going to be misunderstood, judged and maybe looked down upon as less of a man by some people. Truth is I went through a curvy year in 2018 and it reshaped my thought process and the way I see things. I can’t live my life wanting to please other people or be in constant worry about what other people think of me. I’m not responsible for other people’s assumptions of me, so its best they get with the program.

CHILD ↄF L3F AM Sↄ !!!!!!

A friend of mine recently started a clothing line (Salone Plug) and the design on a batch of t-shirts is written: “child ↄf lef am sↄ”. Basically, the message behind this is daring to stand out regardless of the repercussions, because as he wrote in the text when putting out the shirts, “not everyone gets it sometimes because you move different, but you know what’s beautiful?? You’re comfortable with going beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action”.

When I decided to get my dreadlocks done, it wasn’t to make a fashion statement or because I’d look beautiful with it (yes, I said beautiful), but because it was something I’d wanted to do for the longest time and it makes me feel powerful and confident. Jeffrey Bradley, in his book, Don’t Worry Be Nappy, says that to him, dreadlocks symbolize success, freedom, self-expression, and naturalness. For him, dreadlocks have become a declaration of determination to succeed in life on his own terms, and that’s how it is.

Many people base their dislike for dreadlocks on Christianity not knowing there are actual scriptures that support the movement. “All the days of the vow of the separation there shall no razor come upon his head until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” (Numbers 6:5). OR “Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth.” (1 Kings 1:52) are examples of such scriptures.

I am a Christian and I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. I believe in faith, love, peace, perseverance and all that the Bible requires of me to be wholesome. I believe that everyone has a right to do what they deem fit according to their beliefs and personal values. My dreadlocks is a symbol that signifies that I know and understand who I am, embracing and asserting my values of being an African with huge ethnic pride. It is what I choose to impose my individuality upon the world. My dreaded hair draws attention to my value of being your most natural self regardless of what society thinks. Wearing dreads is like a closed-off community that many people are closed off to because they aren’t open-minded. That’s why you’d see most deadheads smile when they pass each other in the streets or give a subtle nod in acknowledgment because it feels as if you’re all somehow connected. It is, however, important to remember that dreadlocks isn’t for everyone. It is a unique hairstyle that sets you apart from everyone else.

I hope that people and society continue to be reformed in thinking that it’s all negative. As society moves towards being more tolerant, I hope that we as a people choose to treat people not based on how they look but rather their values and character.