Salooni celebrates the history and artistry behind black hair

The multidisciplinary art project, developed by a team of creatives from Uganda in collaboration with the British Council, will be presented at the Africa Utopia Festival on July 15 and 16 at the Southbank Centre. Professional hairdressers will style visitors’ natural and synthetic hair for free, and encourage them to contribute their haircare tips to Salooni’s collection of research on black hair.

The space will host silent and spoken theatrical performances, and showcase a series of short films that celebrate the science, culture and art of black hair. Merchandise and prints from the Salooni photography series will also be available to buy.

The project is described by the co-founders as an ‘act of collective self-love, re-incarnation and trust in the wisdom of strangers’. 'We created Salooni because we wanted to create a space in which black women could experience their hair in a non-judgemental setting.’ Kampire Bahana, co-founder of Salooni, told LS:N Global.