Kinky in Spain: A 21st Century Hair Story

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

If you know me then you know two of my twin passions are Black hair and Spain. Not necessarily Black hair in Spain, but you could imagine my excitement if somehow these two topics somehow came together in some kind of magnificent event. And guess what? They did. Sadly, I wasn’t involved in any kind of way, but I’m still happy.

Apparently, almost twenty years after I first set foot on Spanish soil, a suitcase full of hair care goodies — from boxes of relaxer cream to an arsenal of electronic gizmos meant to flatten, curl, dry and fry — to maintain my hair in a country devoid of a Black hair industry, there was a giant Natural Hair Fiesta in Madrid this weekend in honor of American natural hair blogger, Curly Nikki. Check her website for the pictures of this most awesome party, but pay attention to all of the beautiful brown faces and fabulous hair. This is 21st century Madrid and I love it. And this wasn’t a one-time hair party. GoNaturalSpain is actually an active group of naturalistas in Spain, who celebrate their ‘Afro hair’ on a regular basis. And I love the fact that the group was actually started by a Black woman and her (white-ish) Spanish husband. Woot! Woot!

Ms. Meltingpot is in shock and awe (and is sad she’s not going to Spain this summer). Viva la Afro. Viva España!