Guest Author - J. Claire K. Niala

Whenever body modification gets mentioned, it is often associated it with the more extreme forms - be it tattoos or in the west breast enhancement. In many parts of Africa there is a long history of body modification, not always just for reasons of beauty.

The application of henna onto the arms and hands, legs and in some cases even the face is probably the most temporary form of bodyfication. Henna is a plant based dye that ranges from a brilliant orange to to black in colour.

It also changes colour as it dries on the surface of the skin to which it is applied. In recent times henna has gained a great deal of international popularity as unlike tattooing that involves needles the henna naturally fades after a number of weeks leaving no trace of the original pattern.

Culturally henna was (and still is) most often appplied by women to enhance their beauty before special ceremonies such as weddings. Interestingly body modification is not confined to women (whether intentional or not.) Another form of temporary modification the veil, hijab or buibui worn by many African women who are Muslim is only one example of veiling in African culture.

In the sahara desert it is the men who are veiled. Amongst the Kel Tamashek (also known as the Touareg), it is the men who cover their faces with an indigo died cloth. This dye often runs onto their skin leading them to be known as 'The blue men of the desert'. a perhaps unintentional body modification.

A more permanent form of body modification are the facial scars borne by people from many different parts of Africa be it the Bwa people of Burkina Fasso or the Afar of Ethiopia. The cultural significanes are quite similar - enhacing beauty, sometimes the patterns are also a form of divination informing the veiwer of the womans future (the scars are usually formed when the bearer is a child) but most importantly one of identity. Each tribe that practices this custom has their own particular mark making it clear which tribe the person belongs to by the markings that they bear.

In many ways this identity issue has parallels all over the globe with polynesians who as part of their initiation into adulthood have their family tree tattoed onto various parts of their body and even in modern times in the US with sorority and fraternity brothers and sisters tatooing their common bond onto their skin.

In his story 'Tribal Scars' Ousmane Sembene suggests a theory as to how the custom may have began. It was a symbol of freedom as scarred people were less likely to be taken as slaves. I think it may go further back than that. Even before the advent of slavery there were times when African tribes were at war with each other and took women (and men) as conquests from their oposing tribes.

These people then often intermarried and in some cases particular blood lines and indeed whole tribes were lost. Although the scars wouldn't necessarily stop this it did mean that say even children who were lost to their kin had permanent markers as to the group that they belonged to.

On a continent where the individual doesn't exist without their community then this open badge of kinship does emphasize a unique kind of freedom. The freedom to belong while being able to wear this sense of belonging with your own personal style.