The Fluid Nature of the Henna Culture: A Psycho­so­cial Analy­sis of Gender Roles in East Nige­ria

Workshop

mit Naomi Haruna
16. November 2023
14:00 – 18:00 Uhr
Ort: AH-A 210/211

Wenn Sie an dem Workshop teilnehmen möchten, melden Sie sich bitte vorab per E-Mail an: theresa.nink@uni-siegen.de.

In the last decades, the use of Hennah has been the trend of fashion, not only for people in Africa, but also around the world. The art of Henna, which is the art of painting some parts of the body using the Hennah leaves has been recognized for many centuries in different communities in Nigeria, especially the northeast. The application of Henna popularly called Lalle has come to stay. This age-long cultural practice is embedded in northern Nigerian cultures such as the Hausa-Fulani, Shuwa and Kanuri tribes. The importance of this body art design process is closely related with traditional ceremonies, especially naming’s and weddings, but has recently transcended from such ceremonies, to just fashion for fashion sake. The practice has gained deeper meaning in Borno state especially with the Boko Haram insurgency, which has ushered in many changes in the way of life of the people. Maiduguri, consisting of communities who largely practice ‘Kunle’ (closed, in relation to home stay), where women stay at home and do not go out without the express permission of their husbands, have found this practice as a means of socializing with other women, were jokes, advice, admonition and experiences are exchanged. With this background, my presentation centers its analysis on the encompassing nature of henna design as a crucial aspect on the sustainability of this cultural artistic practice in Borno state. There is a focus on the sacredness and significance of the henna process and how women use it as a means of self-empowerment, income generation and how it allows women take charge of what goes on their bodies, even if only for a brief moment. Further, the research investigates the fluid nature of this practice within the specified arena, where different generations of women come together to create a community within a community of strong communal support systems.