Politics woven through black hair

Salooni is a pop-up hair salon and art installation that explores the politics woven through and straightened out of black hair.

In 2016 the Salooni team has popped up at Chale Wote, Ghana, La Ba Festival, Kampala and Nyege Nyege Festival Jinja Uganda. The nAnA grant will support the curations of installations in Kigali and London in 2017.

The Salooni event will be interspersed with silent and spoken theatrical performances: short film, art, performances, theatre and photography will explore the ways in which historical memory and modes of being are weaved into the nap of black people’s hair.

Attendees of the festival in Kigali and London in 2017 will be able to get free hairstyles and cuts from professional hair stylists and one another, as an act of collective self-love, reincarnation and trust in the wisdom of strangers.

Salooni at Africa Utopia 2017

Salooni popped up at the Africa Utopia Festival on July 15th and 16th 2017 at the Southbank Centre.

Recently Salooni partnered with some of their favorite artists Liz Kobusinge, Naddya Adhiambo Oluoch-Olunya and hair stylist Tshani Marithé to produce illustrations for merchandise that celebrates black hair and black hair practices. 

The British Council has awarded Salooni the new Art new Audiences grant

This project is in collaboration with The Salooni (Uganda) and ArtHouse (Rwanda).

Are you an artist interested in collaborating across East Africa? 

We offer grants for East African artists and cultural practitioners to participate in cultural events in East Africa. 

Find out more information about our grants.