Author & Change Agent: Danya Steele

Danya Steele is not only a writer, editor and change agent, but she’s also very passionate about South Africa. Originally from Harlem, New York City, Danya studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and Oxford University (UK). She is currently writing a book that focuses on young South Africans doing extraordinary things.

FC: Origins and current location?

DS: Origin: Harlem, NY 
Current location: Right outside of Atlanta, Georgia but returning to NYC this weekend.

You are a writer, editor and a change agent. Tell us more on what a change agent does?

A change agent creates measurable and progressive social change by using their time, talents, resources and energy. They get excited by the opportunity to improve things (beyond themselves) for the better.

You are working on a book that celebrates the young “movers & shakers” in South Africa. Could you tell us more about it, how did this idea come about?

This is actually answered on my website (www.danyasteele.com), though a more detailed reply is probably right here: SABC Interview. I answer it right off the bat in that audio.

Who are some of the other South Africans you are collaborating with on this project?

Rushay Booysen is an amazing South African photographer and was my collaborator early on. The original vision was that he’d be the primary force driving the visual element of this, as the book is only one part of a four part project including a documentary film, international photo exhibit and mentoring initiative for South African kids.

Rushay ended up having to step away to tend to personal obligations, and we’re hoping he’ll be able to join in later for this work. For now, the project moves forward with collaborations across the board with some of the most talented young creatives South Africa has to offer.

For example, the film — based on the book — is commissioned to a team of talented South African filmmakers; the photo exhibit showcases top South African talent and is curated by a South African, and the mentoring initiative is obviously heavily local. While it’s my brainchild, I’m one of the few Americans involved. I’m very big on a local project being informed by local people. If a project doesn’t have that, I’d be skeptical.

Can you name a few of the young people you plan to feature in your book?

Nkululeko Luthuli: Grandson of Africa’s first Nobel Prize Winner, Albert Luthuli. He left his job as an investment banker to erect and head an NGO called The Luthuli Foundation, in his grandfather’s honor. The foundation works, amongst other things, to pull South African farms out of poverty by connecting local goods to mainstream markets.

Prince Cedza Dlamini: Grandson of Nelson Mandela. Founder of The Ubuntu Institute for Young Social Entrepreneurs, an organization that trains and supports young social entrepreneurs from Africa. Dlamini does a lot of international travel, speaking out regularly on humanitarian issues and shaping the way socially responsible business operates in Africa.

Fred Swaniker: CEO of the African Leadership Academy – a leading educational institution committed to developing the next generation of Africa’s leaders. Based in Johannesburg, the high school takes young men and women from all over the continent.

One ALA student who’s been getting much press is William Kamkwamba, inventor and best-selling author of “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”.

You studied at UCT & have also travelled extensively across South Africa. How has your experience of SA been like?

Oh, there’s so much to say! In short, though, South Africa is one of the most incredible places I’ve been to. It’s naturally beautiful, it’s people are passionate and its political accomplishments are impressive.

What parts of SA have you visited & which is you favourite city/place?

Cape Town, Jozi, PE and many small towns inbetween. Cape Town is likely my favourite for its natural beauty, although Johannesburg has an electricity in the air that I especially appreciate as a New Yorker. I will absolutely end up getting a home in Cape Town, though. Likely in the next few years. I knew that from the moment I studied abroad at UCT. My investment in South Africa is long-term.

Now, let’s talk about your hair. You have such beautiful natural hair by the way. How long have you been natural and what prompted that decision?

Thanks! Funny that this is a blog that talks about South African culture and natural hair because living in South Africa was one of the big inspirations for me to go natural. I was 18 at the time (I’m 25 now), and I came to South Africa with many preconceived notions about what it would be, like many Americans of color. I expected Africa to represent authentic, untouched, pure African beauty and was disappointed to see so many otherwise beautiful African women rocking hairstyles that didn’t compliment them.

This was mostly a monetary issue; lots of those women I saw were poor and couldn’t afford to maintain their processed hair, which means their hair just looked poorly kept. Seeing women relax their hair and bleach their faces (another thing I began to notice…) was just crazy, disappointing and so sad to me.

The defining moment where I decided to go natural: I was at a concert, I looked at two people on either side of me, bumping to the music. One was a woman with a relaxer. It was unkept and she probably needed a touch-up, or some professional attention. It just looked unpleasant and unattractive. It really took away from her natural beauty. She didn’t look that healthy, either.

The other woman had BIG, BRIGHT natural, auburn hair just shining in the sun, she had this beautiful sun dress on, her skin was vibrant and glowing, she was smiling…I just said, wow! She was sooooo beautiful! Her skin literally SANG to me! So I said, I wanna do THAT! It became so clear to me that natural beauty was my preference. So obvious. And I was 18 now, technically of age (in the States) and had real control over my body and identity. So I decided I wanted to see what my own hair looked like.

Even deeper, I reflected and decided that it was so sad, the way so many people of color are trained to basically “wipe out” or “dye” or “press” any natural part of themselves the INSTANT it pokes its head out in the form of new growth. It’s like the INSTANT any part of you shows up? Let’s wipe that out.

These women — these absolutely stunning women of color — are trained to do that so early on in life; little girls grow up never even knowing what their natural beauty looks like. Just: wow! When I thought about that, I thought that was a really crazy and profoundly sad psychological process and I was very eager to see what I looked like, without all of that work of maintaining processed hair, without all of this unnecessary “work” to present yourself as fundamentally false, really. I wanted to see my own natural beauty.

The outcome is that my hair is absolutely gorrrrrrgeous, even when I barely get to do anything (in fact, people seem to like it the less I do to it?) and I would neverrrrrrr think about relaxing it. Straight hair is just kind of boring to me, now. I don’t need to relax a damn thing. I can blow it out if I want straight, which I occasionally do just for variety, but I usually get really eager to see my curly hair again. Straight hair feels too common, even oppressive for me. I LOVE the personality represented by my curls. So I love that. I rock that.

What is your hair care regimen and what are your favourite hair products?

REGIMEN:
I condition my hair in the shower almost every day and wash my hair maybe every 2-3 days. If I washed it any more than that, it would dry out and damage my hair. And then when I get out, I like to put a moisturizer/gel-like product to hold my curl pattern. That’s pretty much my staple:
1. Condition
2. Pat Dry (so, no dripping)
3. Apply a gel product that is alcohol-free and perhaps a moisturizer.

On days when I am maybe staying home and don’t care as much about my curl pattern, I skip the gel, just add a moisturizer and my hair just feels really soft.

I am always experimenting with products. ONE thing I have found is that there really is no reliable “it” for everyone. A woman who looks like she has the SAME TEXTURE hair as you will suggest something wholeheartedly/enthusiastically, and then you’ll take it home and be like, “huh? say what? this does what? no it doesn’t!”

So one thing I’ve learned as a woman with naturally curly hair is that you really don’t ever know unless you try it for yourself. I would suggest not blindly assuming someone else’s recommendation will work for you, because that’s not true.

What DOES seem to work for everyone: alcohol-FREE gels and PROTEIN-based gels. These don’t dry out your hair. And EVERYONE needs that (needs something that doesn’t dry them out). Watch out for stuff that smells great and looks great but one of the first ingredients is alcohol. Use that for long enough and watch your hair dry riiiight up.

Personally (even though different products work for everyone), one line of product that seems to do wonders for many women I know (including myself) are things from Aussie Hair. Their conditioners are really great and some of the best I’ve used. But I switch up my conditioners all the time. I think Aussie actually has alcohol in it, and I’d ideally love to find a conditioner that WORKS like Aussie and is alcohol-free.

While you were in SA did you buy your products locally or did you bring your own from overseas?

Locally. I find whatever works. Gurrrrrl, the USA has no real monopoly on hair products. For women with natural hair, you still have to dig and search for natural products that don’t dry you out. I sometimes find really awesome deals in 99 cent or discount stores (you’d be surprised!); they can sell things that are alcohol-free sometimes. This helps if you’re on a tight budget. Or really higher end stores are likely to carry things with natural products, things that were made with YOU in mind.

Do you think there is a difference between how natural hair is perceived here in SA and in the US?

I actually think, from my experience, that natural hair is more celebrated in South Africa. I have had many Black American or even Latin American women tell me they love or admire my hair but “they could never do that themselves, with the texture they have”. They think my texture is acceptable, but theirs isn’t. I think that’s sad and just a byproduct of them having downloaded someone else’s warped ideologies somewhere along the line.

I’ve told American women that in Africa, I’ve seen women with really, really, really tight curls — super duper kinky — rock their hair natural and that it looks AMAAAAAZING! Super duper fly. The American women will shake their heads, as if to say “no, not me.”

So I think African women may be slightly more confident about this, or at least the women I’ve seen. I could be biased. I’m basing this on living in major South African cities with those in my circle. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s the case once I return to SA and travel even more extensively – not just in major cities but small towns, in townships and rural areas, etc.

Any advice you can give to all the young people in SA?

TELL YOUR STORY! The world is very curious to hear new stories, new voices, new perspectives and no one can ever tell your story better than you. So tell it! Step up! When I lived in South Africa, I was reporting for American magazines and I can tell you; they did NOT want to hear me reporting back on South Africans who had merely adopted Western habits. They wanted, instead, to hear about things that were distinctly South African. So see YOUR identity as a privilege and as an advantage; rock what’s UNIQUE about you — your culture, your hometown, your style, your NATURAL beauty — and you will stand out!

You can check out Danya’s website on www.danyasteele.com

You can also follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/danyasteele

Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/danyasteele