Olunosen Louisa Ibhaze
Crowning Glory: A history of African hair tradition
Queenie ties her hair in knots, trying to find an interesting topic for her school history project, by author Olunosen Louisa Ibhaze
Crowning Glory: A history of African hair tradition, is the first book in the Africa is Not a Country Series. Twins, Queenie and King, are preparing for a school history project about different continents and cultures of the world. King has an idea for a project, but Queenie doesn’t know what to do. Queenie visits Mrs Ojo’s hair salon with her mummy, where she admires the photographs on the salon wall of indigenous African hairstyles. Mrs Ojo explains the rich history, traditions, and culture of African hairstyles, from early African communities to the present day, from African Kings and Queens to enslaved Africans, and from Bantu knots and cornrows, to locs, braids, and afros. When it’s Queenie’s turn to have her hair styled, she opts for Bantu knots and gold accessories, just like the photograph on the wall. When she gets home, Queenie tells King about her visit to the hair salon, and the great idea she has for her history project, the ‘Crowning Glory Project,’ in appreciation of Africa’s Indigenous hair tradition.
This is an educational and entertaining picture book, providing a rich insight into African history, culture, and hair. Olunosen Louisa Ibhaze presents historical facts and information in a fun and engaging way for younger readers, which will inspire readers to learn more about this fascinating topic. The characters, twins Queenie and King, are sweet and adorable and relatable to this age group, and I look forward to hearing more about their adventures and their great ancestors in future books in this series. With additional resources and fun activities at the end of the book, this book would be a valuable resource in any home, public or school library to celebrate the history and culture of Africa.
The beautiful illustrations by Alaba Onajin, represent the rich culture, colours and diversity of Africa and complement the book perfectly.
Star rating: 5 Stars
Summary: An educational and entertaining picture book, providing a rich insight into African history, culture, and hair, superbly told by Olunosen Louisa Ibhaze.
