As a child growing up in eastern Nigeria, hairstyle was the business especially with us female children. Weekend was generally the time we had our hair done and our neighbour was a hair dresser. When I say hairstyle, I don't mean the modern westernized hairstyles that black women wear these days. I mean indigenous authentic African hairstyles.
 
These hairstyles were works of art. They were sculptural and magnificent. They all had names like , songas, shuku, issam, ukwu ose and so on. Making our hair was a very traumatic experience, as the hair had to be pinched, pulled and forced into the various styles. It was not easy at all for us. For one week after having your hair done, you couldn't sleep because it was so painful. You could also develop bruising and inflammation. But the result was simply glorious. We were so elegantly African in those days,  and we were so proud of the hair styles, and then they went out of fashion. I don't miss the pain, but I miss the style.