Afro Hair Therapy: Recent Episodes
Afro Hair Therapy
The purpose of this podcast is to share positive, encouraging and uplifting language to influence our thoughts about our Afro hair. This is done through original poetry dedicated to placing ourselves and our Afro hair on a pedestal.
This episode features the poem "At the front of my head" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem describes how our Afro hair feels when we pay attention to its amazing texture and the beauty of how it has been designed. As you listen to this poem, why not run your fingers along the front of your head? Feel your coils and curls as they dance along your hairline. Embrace the beautiful, unique texture of your Afro hair. Nobody else in the world has hair like us!
This episode features the poem "At the back of my neck" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem describes how our Afro hair feels when we pay attention to it's amazing texture and the beauty of how it has been designed. As you listen to this poem, why not run your fingers along the back of your neck? Feel the beautiful and the unique texture of your Afro hair. Embrace how awesome our Afro hair is. Nobody else on the planet has hair like us!
This episode features the poem"Royal Reveal" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about sharing the possible perspective from our Afro hair as if it were a person talking about what it feels like to be trapped and discarded. The poem captures themes around shame and fear that have rattled our community because of how our Afro textured hair has been the target of so much negativity. However, the poem concludes with the hopeful reality of shame and fear being abandoned and the exchange is that the Afro is finally being revealed in all its glory.
This episode features the poem "Long Live My 'Fro" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about placing our Afro hair within the realms of royalty. Once we recognise that our Afro hair is a wonderful, unique creation, the hope is that we will begin to believe this deeply and to allow this reality to shape and saturate our lives. To others who haven't been on this journey of self-love and self-acceptance involving our Afro hair, they may think that this is 'just hair' but in our world, our Afro hair has been the historical target of slander and treachery and neither belong within the realms of royalty.
This episode features the poem "Fro Tale' written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about describing our Afro hair in ways that we want it to be perceived and how we want it to be seen. Our Afro hair can take many forms and we are in control of the tale or story that we tell about our amazing Afro hair.
This episode features the poem "Genuine Love" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about not being afraid to genuinely love our Afro hair and to embrace it as a unique part of our design and heritage. If we don't have genuine love for ourselves and our Afro hair, then nobody will.
This episode features the poem "My Afro Is Us" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem follows the description of Afro hair - naming Afro textured hair as captivating, amazing and mysterious. Instead of us listening to the negative descriptions of our Afro hair that can sometimes be publicised by those who do not have our hair type, instead we have the daily choice of being able to declare how glorious our Afro hair really is!
This episode features the poem "I Know" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about the undeniable confidence that we need to have about the amazing Afro hair that has been granted to us. It is about recognising that we have such uniquely-textured hair and most of all, it is the best because when you know the truth about yourself, you can stand tall and be proud of who you are wherever you go!
This episode features the poem "Long Lost Love" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem describes the journey of losing the love for our Afro hair and questioning the impact of a negative sentence, criticism or opinion and how that can trigger negative perceptions of ourselves. However, when we decide to re-discover the natural beauty of who we are, we will find that our long lost love towards ourselves and our Afro hair will return.
This episode features the poem "The Celebration Mantra" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is a short boastful celebration of how amazing our Afro hair is! When we repeat positive words about our Afro hair hair, we release power.
This episode features the poem "Queens Wear Crowns" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is a reminder to emphasise that when we know who we are, then nobody has to remind us. This poem reminds us of the reality of how we have been designed and the field of wonder that grows from our heads originates from a point of truth that we must continue to hold onto. We must remind ourselves that we have been given Afro crowns and for this, we should be unapologetically proud.
This episode features the poem "To My Sisters" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is a poetic letter that encourages us as sisters of colour to reject the words and opinions of others who do not want to uplift our natural beauty and our amazing Afro hair. Instead, the poem calls us to let our natural Afro hair loose because we can choose to be proud of what we have and who we are wherever we go.
This episode features the poem "Black Velvet" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem showers our Afro hair with pride and reminds us to focus on what a blessing it is to have this unique hair type. From joy, to pride, to wonder, our Afro hair covers us with qualities and prompts conversation wherever we go.
This episode features the poem "Royalty Right Now" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about how we can choose to feel about ourselves and our Afro hair. Even if the world (and some of the people in it) can make us feel as if our Afro hair has no value, it is up to use to determine what our value is. We can feel like Royalty at any time - all day every day because having the status of Royalty isn't limited to how much money we have...
This episode features the poem "Afro Rise" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is all about drawing undeniable attention to our unique Afro hair type. Our amazing Afro hair can only be full of creativity to reflect the one who designed it! When we begin to acknowledge and offer praise in recognition of how special our Afro hair is then we will begin to see a collective stance to enable our Afro hair to continue to rise.
This episode features the poem "My Afro and Me" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about identifying the negative thoughts that have often caused us to believe a negative narrative that doesn't belong to us and which doesn't elevate us. When we make a decision to reject unhelpful thoughts that do not serve us well, then we will begin to understand that we are the ones who hold the power to reject negative thoughts that damage self-perceptions about ourselves and our natural Afro hair.
This episode features the poem "Super Power" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about uncovering the unique qualities that our amazing Afro hair has. Our Afro hair is so beautiful, amazing and unique that it has earned the right to be recognised as the place where our super power abides.
This episode features the poem "If" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about being sure and confident about who we are. This includes being confident, accepting and loving towards ourselves and our Afro hair. If we don't change the messages and words that we use to associate with ourselves - then nobody else will. If we think that we are beautiful, then we are right.
This episode features the poem "Just Like That" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about the unique qualities that our Afro hair has. Our Afro hair is special, powerful and unique. Our Afro hair is amazing - what other hair type can transform from one texture to another - just like that? How much more magical can our Afro hair be...?
This episode features the poem "Closer" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem encourages us to take a closer look at the unique beauty that our Afro hair truly possesses. For generations, our Afro hair has been both a treasured asset and the target of abuse. This poem reminds us that we are blessed with a unique hair type that we need to examine closer to see all of the unique beauty that we own.
This episode features the poem "Heavy Vines of Glory" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem captures how the character is admiring and describing her dreadlocks while she acknowledges the importance of loving and accepting all of who she is including her amazing Afro hair.
This episode features the poem "Purpose in the Pandemic" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem explores the perspective of how the pandemic has been an opportunity to allow our Afro hair to grow and flourish with its extraordinary beauty. This is simply because it has been left alone to be - without having to be manipulated, over combed, cut and pulled too tightly.
This episode features the poem "Afro's Song. Afro's Dance" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem explores the idea of how our Afros' unique form can create shape and sometimes display a character and energy of its own. When we allow our curiosity to explore the wonder of our Afro hair, we may be pleasantly surprised by what discoveries we make about its extraordinary beauty.
This episode features the poem "My Afro's Presence" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem focuses on the narration of the character who shares the power of her Afro and the attention that it attracts each time that it is displayed in all its various forms.
This episode features the poem "Belonging" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem focuses on the narration of the character who is questioning who her Afro hair belongs to, as she reflects on the reality of being on the societal and local receiving end of people's views (and imposed standards of beauty). At the end of the day, until we decide that our Afro hair is more than enough, the world will never stop it's damaging narratives - until we tell it to stop and to accept the belonging of our Afro hair.
This episode features the poem "Designed to be this way" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. The poem focuses on the fact that our Afro hair is designed to be the unique way that it is! No matter what macro and micro aggressions we are bombarded with, the truth is our Afro hair is heavy with history, heritage and creativity.
This episode features the poem "Good Hair Day" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem focuses on the narration of the character who unapologetically resists the label of having a 'bad hair day.' Many times our Afro hair is described using negative language and tones, but if we make consistent efforts to resist these common labels, then we will begin to re-wire our thoughts and values that we have towards our amazing Afro hair.
This episode features the poem "My Afro's Story" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about how the character of the poem loves their Afro hair. They describe the story of their Afro hair and they invite us to come closer and to hear its story. Have you ever taken the time to review your Afro hair's story? What has the journey with your Afro hair been like so far?
This episode features the poem "My Love" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem leads us through a persistent, unapologetic narrative of how much this character loves their Afro hair despite the apparent challenges that many of us face sometimes when we are made to feel different because of the Afro hair that we are privileged to have. The truth is, no matter what, the only people that can change our loves stories about our Afro hair are us!
This episode features the poem "I See You" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem features a narrative or voice of a character that talks about their Afro hair as if they have been admiring a loved one over the course of time. Why not listen for yourself? Love all of who you are!
This episode features the poem "The Plea" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem features a narrative or voice of Afro hair as if it were a character talking to the person that it belongs to. The Afro makes a plea to be released and questions why it has been hidden for so long...
This episode features the poem "Pride" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem features a narrative of the character in the poem as if she were talking to a stranger who is held hostage by the beautiful difference that Afro hair displays.
This episode features the poem "Never Alone" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem features a narrative that is offered by the various creative (and traditional) styles of Afro hair from Bantu Knots to the undeniable Afro puff. Their words are delivered as if they are living and breathing. Almost as if you were talking to members of your own family or to your closest family of friends.
This episode features the poem "The Presence of Glory" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem reflects on the privilege of being designed with Afro hair and that it has its own unique texture, form and presence. It is also a reflection of how the presence of Afro hair makes us undeniable and set apart in the most obvious of ways.
This episode features the poem "The Words They Said" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem describes our Afro hair as the silent witness to all the negative and/or hurtful words that may have been said to us about our Afro hair. The poem ends with positive affirmations - a testimony to how our thoughts and words about ourselves and our Afro hair can overcome negative experiences of the past.
This episode features the poem "Playtime" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem describes a moment where you may have paused from a long day to take a five minute break and as you become quiet, you begin to play with your hair. Sometimes we play with our hair while we are thinking too. Either way, we all have those moments when we just want to enjoy the texture of our awesome Afro hair.
This episode features the poem "Flick!" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem temporarily takes us down memory lane where it briefly explores some of the things we used to do to mimic standards of beauty to be anyone but ourselves...fast forward to today...loving ourselves a d our Afro hair is paramount!
This episode features the poem "The Song" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem uses the analogy of music and song to describe how our Afro hair would sing. Temporarily immerse yourself into this poem and imagine the marvellous melodies that would escape from a creation that is genuinely full of joy about who they are and how they would sing their own kind of song.
This episode features the poem "The presence of locs" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem describes the beauty of a common form of our Afro hair known as locs and/or dreadlocks. Enjoy!
This episode features the poem "Afro Awakened" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about the experience of feeling free when we finally get to that place of showcasing our Afro hair without any form of compromise.
This episode features the poem titled "Homecoming" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem is about coming to a place within ourselves about self-acceptance. Sometimes it can take us years as people to get to that place where we finally abandon negative thoughts and replace what we think about ourselves (and our Afro hair) with a new narrative.
This episode features the poem "The Bounce" and has been written by your host, Dee Chikwendu. The poem is about wearing our Afro hair with undeniable pride, despite the negative narratives that have dominated for hundreds of years. We have the power to re-write the narrative and it all starts with "The Bounce!"
This episode features a poem titled "Letter to my Black Queens" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. This poem offers encouragement to Black women emphasising how beautiful and amazing our Afro hair is. We don't need to wait for others to affirm our Afro-beauty - we can do this ourselves through the words we declare about ourselves and which reflect the thoughts that we have about ourselves.
This episode features the third poem titled "Manifesto" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. Now imagine if your Afro hair could talk - what do you think your Afro hair would say? Well, this poem is about the manifesto that my Afro hair would say in an opening speech.
This episode features the second poem titled "Frist Date" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. The poem uses the scenario of being on a first date. Sometimes you turn up too early and you are in those moments of waiting where only patience can assist you and that's what it can be like while you are waiting for your Afro to grow.
This episode features the first poem titled "Kink and Curl" written by your host Dee Chikwendu. The poem is about embracing the wonder of what Afro hair is and it's unique position of being able to represent awe and wonder.