Back, bigger and open for registration!

LAST year, Curl Fest took Guyana by storm by opening up a whole new type of entertainment for the local population, while also zeroing in on the needs of the local natural hair community. This year, with a new name and an even more exciting line up of events, Co-founder, Tamika Henry said that the rebranded ‘Curl Fete’ will seek to expand its scope while helping to serve as a family- friendly and informative space where all can learn about health, beauty and – of course- natural hair.

Explaining the reason behind the name change, Tamika said that apart from wanting to set the event apart from the Annual Curl Fest that is held in the United States, the new ‘Curl Fete’ aligns more with the cultural identity of the Caribbean. “We wanted a festival that was more in line with our identity as Caribbean people and more unique to the region because every region and most countries have their own version of a natural hair expo, and so we wanted something that would set us apart,” she said.

This year’s event, scheduled for October 8 at the Promenade Gardens; a venue which proved to be the perfect setting for such an event, is now open to vendors who wish to be part of the Expo. Tamika revealed that given the success of last year’s event, more vendors are eager to be part of Curl Fete 2017. “So far, exhibitors have been very excited about it because a lot of people who missed the opportunity to take part in it last year, have signed up early to make sure they get a spot this year, as well as vendors who took part last year- they had so much fun; it was a good experience for them and boost for their business that they have already indicated an interest. So we are definitely having an easier time recruiting vendors than last year,” Tamika said.

For the curious patrons who are wondering just how much better `Curl Fete’ can get, they can look forward to a bigger Hair Show, for one.

“We didn’t get an opportunity to put as much time and effort into making sure [the hair show] was a grand one, and ensuring that we help the salons to put their best product on stage. To the best of my knowledge, there is no other large hair show in Guyana so there is an opportunity for that sector of the community to be on show,” Tamika said.

She stated that the team is also working to ensure that they incorporate the feedback they would have received from last year’s event as well including ways in which the quality of the show can be improved. Other attractions will include team building exercises such as a scavenger hunt and “Squad Olympics”, where persons can compete with their own teams in various activities.

“We want to push the idea of women supporting each other and not necessarily competing against each other. It’s important to establish a community among women not just those with natural hair but all Guyanese women,” Tamika said.

LAST YEAR’S SUCCESS
Reflecting on the event’s success and subsequent occurrences since, Tamika said that while the team was aware of the strength of the natural hair movement in Guyana, the response was still surprising. Therefore, making it an annual event was only natural in order to give small businesses in the industry a chance to better market and showcase their products and services.

“There are businesses out there that are hungry for this kind of exposure, particularly small businesses that are women-led or in the start-up stage, or young entrepreneurs who don’t know to market on a large scale. So we wanted to provide this space for them annually to connect with their customers on a more personal,” she said.

Keeping these stakeholders in mind, the `Curl Fete’ team has therefore consulted with vendors and has taken some of their advice on board, particularly their need for marketing advice. “So leading up to `Curl Fete’ this year we will be doing a marketing workshop for vendors who sign up. It is free as part of their registration. And, at that workshop we will introduce the vendors to some of those providers who can help them with marketing materials, public speaking and learning how to connect with customers,” she said.

Tamika also expressed the hope that more salons would participate in this year’s event given their importance in women’s beauty and hair care. “Salons are very important. A lot of women are informed of trends and have all these discussions there; it is a very important space to get messages out, so we want to ensure that salons cater for women with natural hair so we can go there and be part of that culture and not be limited to doing our own hair at home because the salons that exist do not cater for us… Last year [salons] were very shy and only a few took up the mantle and ran with `Curl Fete’, but this year we need them to step forward because a salon trip for a woman is something she looks forward to,” she added.

CULTURAL IMPORTANCE
Tamika and team are also aware that the hosting of `Curl Fete’ goes beyond just another means of entertainment but as a means of positive reinforcement of beauty standards for women. “Women for a long time, they have to reach a certain standard to be considered beautiful. Women of every skin colour and hair texture- have all had some kind of pressure on us to be acceptable by beauty standards.

Women of colour in particular, and women with natural hair, have had to work a bit harder and the damage that those types of stereotypes and pressure [caused] couldn’t possibly be fixed in one year,” she said. “We have younger girls coming up that are looking for constant reminders that they are beautiful, and you need to have a consistent source of positive reinforcement … we are hoping to have `Curl Fete’ do that.”

Vendors wishing to register for Curl Fete can still do so by calling 600- 0071, 600-8142 or emailing curlfete@gmail.com