Model: Femi Olaleye
AUGUST 2020
This series is the first visual exploration of my identity. I explore the positive impact my ancestral history, the religious generational divide, and the symbolism of hair.
From within, the spirit of my ancestors are alive and well. While my maternal grandfather was a businessman, my paternal one was an academic. My aspiration to attain a graduate degree, and then start a business is no coincidence... Perhaps I can become the living spirit by achieving what my ancestors' had, and then some.
For once, I can finally explore the continent without the filter of the white world… I once read a story of prosperous southern African farmers in the late 1800s donating to a relief fund meant to benefit northern English farmers, who struggled to compete in the agricultural market. This story is in stark contrast with what I was taught. Nevertheless, admirable stories, like this one, are a motivational tool
"I went to a therapist once. I didn't trust him; His remedies were nonsense. You should come with me to church instead" said my god-fearing Nigerian father. I found his advice perplexing; After all, he's a doctor. A striking difference between my father and I is our emphasis on religion: Whereas he prays and reads scripture to deal with psychological strife, I address them in a logical, secular context...But I can't ignore the power of religion - perhaps my immigrant, self-made father prays to cope with a cruel world...
As a child, I dreaded haircuts. I was told by teachers, and my mother, to cut my hair. Cruelty from within and outside the home... From 2014 onward, I discovered a remarkable sense of peace with my natural hair. I also look better with it. Perhaps I was pleased with what I was forced to hide - my natural inheritance.