By Phemelo Segoe
It’s been observed that African people shared stories that were passed on from one generation to generation over a fire and a meal, or a communal gathering or when tending to hair. These stories were spoken, and reshared using the same vehicle, our voices.
Today we know that a great deal of African people's history remains unknown and even unshared due to the nature of how stories were told and stored. We may have had our art, our garments, our drawings, and even our hair to capture our lives, but the lack of documentation resulted in a loss of detail.
The words our ancestors left unwritten, after years of strife and struggle, have become unheard and now, heartbreakingly unknown. But it wasn’t only our stories that were cast aside and excluded from history books; it was also our beauty.
The beauty of our bodies, the beauty of our minds, the beauty of our skin, the beauty of our hair.
MPL is a brand formed with the purpose of not only developing products that nurture, strengthen, and grow black hair but also creating spaces where the beauty of our hair can be discussed, observed, and adorned.
Since its inception, MPL has consistently focused on the recognition and redirection of affection to kinky, coily, African hair, allowing us to remember where we stand, where we belong, and where we still need to go as a people.
MPL’s hairstory is one of commitment to delivering products that care for our scalps and hair, all the while ensuring that our crowns are seen and celebrated. It’s a story of compassion and commitment to our coils, seen in the product innovation, attention to ingredients, and controlled Rand value to ensure that every head can care for its crown. Hair care is a source of historical preservation and future innovation, and MPL continues to bridge the gap as a defender of our roots and pioneer of our growth.
Lebo Mashile so beautifully captured the power that rests on our heads when she said, “Hair is a mirror that allows us to time travel through dimensions within ourselves." Our hair tells us who we are, and stories about our hair are worth sharing and preserving. MPL deeply understands this, which is why Our Hair Story, by MPL, is not just a book that captures our beauty and stories; it is a book that preserves our beauty and stories.
This book is an act of love, it is an act of defiance but perhaps most beautifully, it is an act of preservation. History is shaped by those who record it. Our voices will no longer suffer the erosion of time nor the disappointment of memory.
Our Hair Story preserves our history, recognises our present & honours our future.
Our Hair Story is dedicated to you.
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