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Traditional African societies honoured their Afro locks as a language in itself – using it to convey their tribe, age, marital status, wealth and even social rank. Over the centuries, hair became an important bonding ritual by weaving in intricate styling like braids and twists. However, not before these communities’ locks were used as the very weapon to dehumaise them. During the slavery dark ages, slave traders and colonisers shaved the heads of of their workers in a bid to erase their cultural heritage as well as establish racial hierarchy. Even when things felt slightly more civilised, they really weren’t – take the 1786 Tignon Laws in Louisiana for instance, forcing African women to cover their hair in public. These were chapters in history, which despite the immense passage of time, can never fall under the statute of limitations in how barbaric they were.