On our recent trip through South Africa and Zimbabwe, I found African women to be enchanting. I was especially fascinated with the way that they were able to style their hair into so many forms of creative ‘hair dos’. I asked some of those who we met in restaurants, shops, hotels and on the street if I could take their photograph. I was surprised to find that most were very willing for me to hold my camera toward their face and capture their image.
Equally fascinating were their names, especially in Zimbabwe. I think that parents wanted to name their son or daughter after some form of personal philosophy, a desire for success or a value that was important to them.
Some of the men;’s names that I can remember are Trymore, Regis, Mylord, Justice and Venus. Of course there were standard names as well such as Eddie, Simon and Jacob.
Women’s names were even more charming – Gracious, Precious, Charity, Patience, Mummsie, Memory and Surprise.
Some were quite hilarious – Admire, Polite, Sugar, Godknows, Eversmile, Talkmore, Clever, Silent, Smart, Shine, Knowledge, Hardlife, and Energy.
Anyway, the women who allowed me to photograph them had beautiful smiles and wonderful hair styles. Thanks to them all for making my day!
