By Oluhle Sibanda |Since time immemorial beads have played an amazing role as a beauty accessory in the lives of African women. Beads made in various forms have always been used by African women to accentuate their beauty, giving them unique features compared to women from other continents.
However, researchers say the culture of adorning the waist with beads probably began in ancient Egypt where they were called “girdles” and were worn by women as a status symbol.
In West Africa, it is understood that the tradition was made popular by the Yorubas who wore beads for various reasons.
It might be for a good reason though it looks unusual. It might be fulfilling to their wishes, as many Zimbabwean girls are seen openly adorning these.
An elderly woman MaDlamini said; “there is more to it, it might be used as a vodoo/ juju to lure men cause I had a maid who had those. When I accidentally saw them she said she was given by her grandmother and it’s for luck with men.”
Really! Ladies can you keep such a helper in your house working around your husband? One can suggest that it is used in commercial sex work to lure men.
Could this waist belt have some spiritual supremacy? What does Christianity say about it if ever? There is bound to be reservations from the Christian community concerning the use of beads as these are associated with the other forms of spirituality, meaning not many Christian women will accept wearing these.
One male friend of mine said women go to traditional healers and sangomas to get these beads, warning men to beware of such women because they use their waist beads as a sex trap.
Are they for health reasons?
Growing up, many African girls were told tales of women who laced beads with charms and fragrances that made them irresistible to the opposite sex.
Certain in Zimbabwean communities women were famous for their charmed waist beads. In particular in Zimbabwe the Tonga and the Tshangani women are popular for their brazen use of beads in their daily lives. These charms are believed to possess the powers to entice and entrap the opposite sex and even improve their sexual prowess, according to other researchers.
This attribute no doubt contributes primarily to the negativity associated with waist beads.
The most popular perception of waist beads is its sex appeal. It is said that wives often lured their husbands with the rattle of beads or use them to communicate their fertility at certain times of the month.
Sexy is sexier when there’s a lot for the mind to imagine.This practice though now less popular, is perceived to be a major reason some women wear them.
Culture and Beauty
Research in Ghana indicates that it is regarded as the Bead Production Capital of the World perhaps because of the cultural relevance of beads to her people.
Like other west African countries, women have held a long fascination with beads, as symbolic and cultural ornaments of womanhood, sexuality, fertility, spirituality and wealth.
Traditionally, a set of beads for the wrists, neck, ankles, arms and waist formed part of culturally accepted feminine beauty and adornment for the African society.
Let’s suppose it’s for cultural purposes , closely look at the girl in question dressing and the way she displayed her waist beads. Really!
In West Africa, the tradition became such that a lady wears multiple strings of beads around her waist; and the only person allowed to remove them was her husband on her wedding night.Then wedding ceremonies used to be more symbolic than it is now, according to the magazine Nairaland.
The Yorubas particularly, would ask the couple to consummate their marriage on a bed laid with white clothing and show a blood stained fabric as proof that the lady was a virgin.
A stainless white cloth comes with a deluge of shame not only for the lady but her entire family.In other culture, the beads were adorned with bells, which was a signal to let a partner know that the woman was clean- meaning she is at the proper stage where sexual intercourse is allowed.
It’s only now that waist beads are becoming visible. They used to be considered as underwear exclusively worn under garments in Africa.
Ladies who wer zvuma muchiuno vanonaka heavy and unoramba
uchi tunda after every Koiling pakaipa
also vasne ma heavy Dinji ano buda Huchi pa sviro Pakaipa Try them Havana Problem
kana one time, kunaka kupela
Christianity teaches everything that is african in a negative way, yes the african languages are bad, thats why in the churches in the middle of africa, african pastors preach in english even if the gathering is made up of people who understand one or two african languages, but because the european formed churches teach a european type of god, so english is the language the god hears better. Where I come from , in our culture the exchange of rings is not african again, europeans created that culture, in our part of africa its the man who give those waist beads to the woman. They true constitute our african jewellery worn by women, in some parts even men wear them as necklaces etc. Those who associate waist beads with evil, just do not take time to talk with those who know better, like I said, this evil christianity spreads negativity about everything african, sad enough most of our africans prefer to be associated with other races than their own, too bad for our people.