Natural hair artist Nikiwe Dlova is beaming with pride after her work was featured on Instagram on Thursday. She is well known in SA for her bold, colourful and unique headpieces which are a celebration of her blackness and Xhosa culture.
Instagram regularly features and celebrates global change-makers, including human rights activists.
Dlova's work is featured under the theme #shareblackstories, and she talks about what “black joy” means to her in the SA context and how she celebrates it through hair.
“I celebrate black joy by sharing my creativity and being myself. Whenever I think of black joy I think of my Xhosa culture, how vibrant it is and it just fills me to always be playful and curious in all that I do,” she said.
In August, TimesLIVE reported that two of Dlova's headpieces were featured on Black Is King, the visual album by US musician Beyoncé Knowles. One was worn by actress Nandi Madida, who played the role of Nala, and another by musician Busiswa Gqulu.
Gqulu's headpiece was inspired by Isicholo' from the Zulu culture, which is a traditional headpiece worn by women.
“I love using colour, I think it brings a vibrant energy. Black joy to me is confidence, a celebration of culture, it is creativity, people using their voice to fight for what they believe in. It is our responsibility to celebrate our culture to tell our stories,” she said.
Dlova raved about the SA spirit of ubuntu, saying: “It brings us all together. There's something beautiful about that you're not alone. That's what I love about being part of the black community.”
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