Havana performance artist, Susana Delahante, has organised a black hair competition for black and mixed-race women to compete in three hair categories ,natural, braided and dreadlocked.
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Cuba holds its first natural hair competition
Susana Delahante revealed, two hour competition was an effort to bolster pride within the Afro-Cuban community
Yanely Salgado, 1st Runner Up for Afro
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Delahante stated, "I wanted to do something that legitimized my hair, this undervalued type of hair". The two hour competition was attended by over 70 contestants.
According to the 2012 census, 64% of Cubans identified themselves as white, 23% as biracial and only 9.3% as black. Sociologists have stated the reason only a small amount of the Cuban population willingly identify as black is due to lingering prejudice.
A review by the Wall Street Journal revealed, "2009 estimates place the black or mixed population between 60% and 70% of Cuba’s citizens, but there are no officials of color in the upper echelons of Cuban leadership. The torture and humiliation Afro-Cuban dissidents face upon being arrested is often exacerbated by their skin color".
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