Reader Eniola brings us a report from the Caribana festival in Toronto, Canada!
Hi BGLHers!
My name is Eniola. I am a self-professed natural hair advocate and a lover of all types of kinks! Like many of you, hair is a part of my life and it is something I observe, think and talk about.
As a young Nigerian woman who now resides in Toronto, my hair has become an object of great importance. I have gone through a series of idiosyncrasies but now I’m at the point of peace and contentment with who I am, including what my hair looks like.
Now this past weekend was the Caribana weekend celebration. Quoting Wikipedia, Caribana is Caribbean carnival event celebrating culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world come to Toronto’s lakeshore. Caribana has been billed as North America’s largest street festival, frequented by over 1.3 million visitors each year for the festival’s final parade. This year, we had Lauren London, Jay-Z, Eminem, Young Jeezy and more present at one of the many concerts/after parties.
I decided to seize the opportunity to see what the natural scene would be like at such a time and I was really happy with the results. On day one, there were many stylish women on the street with gorgeous afros (unfortunately I had no camera with me). The next day, I was amped and armed for the parade! Most people were extremely warm and supportive, (I got only one rejection). I couldn’t resist snapping the men as well because they had a mean hair game! Overall, it was a great experience that I’m sharing with everyone. Enjoy =)
