On October 9, 2016, the Promenade Gardens will come alive as the first ever natural hair show dubbed Curlfest Guyana would be held and organizer, former beauty queen Tamika Henry held an information session at the Pegasus hotel on Monday evening.
On the group’s Facebook Page , Curlfest Guyana is described as a Natural Hair, Health and Beauty Expo for Guyanese naturals of all textures and skin tones and is dubbed a celebration of natural hair and self-love.
The event is proposed to be an annual event that offers kinky and curly haired Guyanese the opportunity to connect with each other and share their experiences with “all things natural.”
During Monday’s information session, business persons interested in setting up booths during the event were given the opportunity to raise questions and also garner information on how they could be a part of the first of its kind, event.
For the fashion booths and fashion market, designers and other persons will have to pay a standard fee and would be allotted booths of various sizes.
Space would be allotted for salons and barber shops with the option of tents or open-air. The cost of electricity would also be factored into the overall payment for businesses.
Organizers, Tamika Henry and Denisha Victor gave those in attendance a rundown of the hair show segment, which will be held more to the end of the all-day expo and other details of how their participation would be beneficial to the movement.
Since the Curlfest Guyana’s page has been created many Guyanese naturals have been featured, sharing their stories and challenges with mastering natural hair and also challenges faced in the work place.
Curlfest Guyana promises to be a day filled with must-have hair products from your favourite brands, demos for DIY natural hairstyles for work and play, diet and fitness tips for healthy hair, skin, mind, body and soul and much more.
All over the world, a revolution is taking place where more women are embracing their natural tresses as a form of empowerment and demonstration of self- love and Guyana is now part of that movement.
And according to Curlfest, “Guyana, with its melting pot of cultures, has not been exempt from the global movement, so much so that we are also experiencing an exponential growth in the number of women who sport natural hair locally and in the diaspora. Moreover, several established businesses are now marketing natural hair care and beauty products, added to the upsurge in new merchants that focus specifically on these products. Undoubtedly, the natural hair niche market is a dynamic one which is expected to grow in financial value and social influence even more in the near future.”
It is the belief of the Group that Curlfest Guyana, could not have come at a more appropriate time in Guyana given that “our women are being abused, trafficked and objectified now more than ever.”
While the correlation with hair may not be immediately obvious, “self-acceptance has a tremendous impact on our confidence and mental health, attributes that must be amplified in order to resist the issues mentioned above and maintain a strong sense of self.”
