Daga Pauline Odhiambo
Ta girma a matsayin yarinyar da hotonta yake jikin kwalin man famin na "Beautiful Beginnings Relaxer", tattausan murmushinta cike da jin kunya ya kara kawata kanta da ke dauke da bakin gashi.
A wuraren sana'ar gyaran gashi da dama a fadin duniya, kananan yara kan nuna hotonta da ke jikin kwalin suna cewa suna son a yi musu gyaran gashin salon irin nata.
Bayan shekara 21, har yanzu hoton Natalie Githu ne a jikin kwalin man gyaran gashin, duk da cewa a yanzu gashinta na gaske ne a kanta, kuma ta fuskanci nuna wariya saboda shi.
"Na yi talla ga kamfanin 'Dark 'n Lovely' a lokacin ina da shekara hudu; a lokacin ban san wani abu gyaran gashi ba. Amma zan iya cewa gashina na da kyau da tsafta saboda mahaifiyata na sana'ar gyaran gashi." Natalie da a yanzu take da shekaru 25 ta shaida wa TRT Afirka. "Ta yadda na samu wannan shuhura kenan".
"A ko yaushe mutane na tambaya ta ko wannan gashina ne na gaske a jikin kwalin. Suna tunanin ko na yi karin gashi, ko kuma hular gashi ce na saka a kaina. Sai na dinga fada musu cewa wannan gashina ne na gaske, saboda gyara da ake masa shi ya sa ya zama haka."
Iyayen Natalie 'yan kasar Kenya ne, amma an haife ta a birnin Johannesburg na Afirka ta Kudu, inda ta yi aiki a matsayin mai tallan kayan kawa kusan shekara 15. Mahaifiyarta na raka ta zuwa daukar duk wani hoto ko bidiyo.
Natalie ta ce tana yawan sarrafa gashinta da sinadarai don ya yi kyau a tallar da za ta yi, ciki har da tallan Dark 'n Lovley na L'Oreal - kamfani mafi girma a duniya wajen samar da kayan kwalliya wanda a 2022 ya sayar da kayayyaki na dala biliyan 40, kamar yadda mujallar Forbes ta bayyana.
Kyara da sinadaran mikar da gashi
Kayan da Natalie ta yi tallarsu na daga kayan kamfanin da suka fi tafiya a kasuwa a nahiyar saboda wani dalili. Yanayin gashi irin na Afirka na ci gaba da fuskantar kyara a sassan duniya, wanda hakan ke sanyawa ake sayen man mikar da gashi.
Ana amfani da mayukan lausasa gashi don mikar da gashin da yake a cukurkude, kuma ya zama mafita ga masu gajere kuma cukurkudadden gashi. Amma a wasu lokutan wadannan mayuka na lausasa gashi na da illoli kamar kona gashi da ma zubar da gashin.
A yayin da a a yau wasu suka zabi bin hanya ta gaskiya don mikar da gashinsu, a gefe guda kuma ana ci gaba da neman mayukan lausasa gashin inda ake rububin sayen mayukan famin.
Bayanin Nazarin Kasuwanci na Havard ya bayyana cewa har a wuraren da ba a nuna wariya saboda nau'in gashin mutum, mata bakaken fata na fuskantar kabulabe idan ana batun gashi.
Wannan shi ne batu na gaskiya game da Natalie, wadda take yawan mikar da gashinta ba wai don yin talla kawai ba, har ma domin cika ka'idar tsara gashi a makaranta.
Ta bayyana cewa "Na kasance a makarantar da galibiin dalibanta fararen fata ne, kuma a littafin dokokin makaranta, dole ne gashin daliba mace ya kasance a mike sambal. Ba a yarda da irin salon gyaran gashi na Afirka da za a bar shi a cunkushe ko a cukurkude ba."
Wannan na nufin yara da suke son yin aiki da ka'idar da aka sanya a makaranta sai sun yi amfani da mayukan lausasawa da mikar da gashi.
"Ban taba sanin wai gashina zai zama wani abun kamantawa ba sai lokacin da na shiga babbar sakandire, a lokacin da na fara fahimtar yadda ake daukar gashin bakar fata a wasu wuraren," in ji Natalie.
Tana yawan tuna yadda take kwatanta kanta da sauran 'yan ajinsu da suka fito daga yankin Caucasia, wadanda kawai za su kama gashinsu su daure don yin wasan ninkaya, ba sa bukatar shafe gashin da mayuka don bai wa gashin kariya.
"Ni, a mafi yawan lokuta na kan kitse da daure gashina ne, saboda wannan ce hanya mafi sauki wajen kula da gashin nawa."
Kuma babu ma wasu masu gashi da aka yi wa kitso sosai.
Natalie ta ce "Fararen 'yan mata na iya rina gashinsu zuwa kowacce kala, amma mu ba a ba mu damar kitse gashinmu da wani launin ba, sai dai ya yi ta zama a baki, wanda babu adalci a hakan," Natalie ta koka.
Ta tuna yadda wata rana wata daliba farar fata ta tsokane ta saboda ta daure kanta.
"Na yi kitso a kaina kuma ya yi tsayi, kenan asalin gashina ya fara bayyana. Mu dalibai bakaken fata, wani lokacin muna rufe kanmu don mu boye gashinmu da ke fitowa don kitson da za mu yi ya yi kyau sosai don zuwa makaranta," in ji ta.
"Wata rana ina sanye da dankwalina sai wata farar daliba ta ce 'Ni ban san me ya sa dalibai bakake suke daura dankwali ba; tun da ba wai kuna da gashin da za ku adana ba ne."
Natalie ta kara da cewa ba ta damu ta bata lokacinta don mayar da martani ba, saboda abin da aka yi mata tsagwaron nuna wariya ne.
Gangami a makarantu
A watan Agustan 2016, Zulaikha Patel mai shekara 13 da abokan karatunta a Makarantar Sakandire ta 'Yan Mata ta Pretoria sun fara gangamin yaki da nuna wariyar nau'in gashi a makarantarsu.
Zanga-Zangarsu ta taimaka wajen farkar da duniya inda aka dinga tattauna nuna wariyar nau'in gashi a makarantun Afirka ta Kudu, inda ake kuma kokarin ganin an kawo karshen matsalar da bakaken fata da yawa suka fuskanta.
"A lokacin da na shiga aji na biyar na sakandare, dukkan daliban makarantarmu suna yin kalar kitson da suke so saboda 'yan mata na Pretoria sun assasa tattaunawa game da yanayin nau'in gashin bakar fata."
Ita da kanta tana jin kamar an tsare ta ne ga kawai zuwa wajen daukar hotuna da bidiyo don yin talla, wanda hakan ke hana gashinta zama nau'ka daban-daban.
"A baya, 9 daga cikin 10 na mata masu tallace-tallace fararen fata ne; a wasu lokutan za a sami mutum ya zo da gashinsa a wanke kuma a jike.
"Hakan ba matsala ba ne ga farar mace mai tallata kayayyaki, amma yana da wuya ga bakar fata saboda gashinki zai cukurkude, wanda hakan zai sanya a sha wahala wajen yin ado da shi - musamman idan mai yin adon ba shi d akwarewa a kan bakin gashi.
Gashin Natalie nata ne na asali
A shekarar 2018, Natalie ta yanke hukuncin dakatar da amfani da duk wani sinadari don mikar da gashin kanta.
Ta ce "Ban dakatar da lausasa gashi don tsanar sinadaran ba. Na yi nasarar samun mai gyaran gashi da ke iya kwantar da gashin bakar fata ba tare da amfani da sinadari ba. Kawai na yanke hukuncin na daina, saboda zan dinga yin kitso."
Duk da zama daban da yin fice na da muhimmanci a fannin tallace-tallacen kamfanoni, Natalie ta dinga saka hulunan gashi don gudanar da ayyukanta, amma kuma a wasu lokutan ta dinga fargabar ko kamfanonin da suka ba ta aiki ba za su yarda da mai ta saka ba.
Natalie da ta zama zakarar makon Kayan Sawa a Afirka ta kudu ta kuma bayyana cewa "Yi wa gashina kitso ya zama abu mafi kyau, saboda ina tanadar hular gashi a ko yaushe."
"Ta kai ga har na yi talla a Faransa, kuma sun amince da gashin da aka yi wa kitso. Ina tunanin sun dauke ni na yi musu tallar ne saboda gashina a kitse yake; hakan ya dace da abun da nake so."
Natalie ta kuma kasance kwararriya ba wai a tallace-tallace kawai ba, ta shirya kammala digiri a sashen nazarin shirya fina-finai a Jami'ar Cape Town.
Ta ce "Rayuwar yin tallace-tallace na da dadi, amma a yanzu na gwammace zama a bayan na'urar daukar hoto, saboda yanzu bayar da labari ta hanyar hoto da bidiyo na jan hankalina. Har yanzu ma ina yin tallace-tallace, amma kuma kuma bangaren shirya fim ne ke jan hankalina."
Ta kara da cewa "Ina son nau'ukan bakin gashinmu - suna da karfafa gwiwa kuma a ko yaushe suna da kyau, ko ka fito da shi yadda yake ko kuma ka lausasa shi.
"Ba batu ne na gashi kawai ba, saboda miliyoyin mata da yara kanana a duniya na mu'amalantar juna, duba da kyawun gashinsu."
