MARY EKWUE
QUEEN OF THE HEAD
WRAPS
By Halcian Pierre
Saturday Express
July 29, 2000
Page 23
She
is soft spoken and carries herself like royalty. Queen Mary Ekwue was born in the Anambora state
of Nigeria, but for nine years has been putting her artistic skills to work
in Trinidad.
Her
canvas: the human body, as she wraps heads and drapes bolts of cloth on locals
wanting that authentic African look.
Her shop, African Boutique, in the New City Mall caters for a wide
variety of tastes.
Ekwue
comes from the Ibo tribe in the eastern part of Nigeria. She adopted the title "Queen"
after winning a Nigerian beauty contest in 1985.
She
has a BSc in Sociology and Anthropology from Maiduguri University; she also
has a post-graduate diploma from UWI and is a M.Sc. student in their Social
Science department.
She
specialises in African clothing, doing the head and body wraps that represent
different parts of Africa.
"Head
wraps are called 'ichafu' in Ibo and 'gele' in Yoruba, " Ekwue
explained. "There are several ways
in which we women use our ichafu."
The
most requested ones are "Nelema" (Pretty Princess), usually reserved
for royalty and sometimes worn by young brides-to-be. "Ogoni" (Strong Woman) is for the woman who has
achieved many successes in education, commerce or politics.
The
"Eko Bridge" style is popularly worn by both the Ibo, Yoruba and
Igalas of Northern Nigeria. It's also
the number one head wrap style for dinners, weddings and naming ceremonies.
If you
are looking for a head wrap, the two-yard-long cloth will cost about $250. The fabric itself is a stiff one; it
actually makes noise when you begin folding it, and has two gold designs inlaid
on each side - matte for daytime and glitter for night.
But,
according to Ekwue, the wrap is only a part of the whole. In order for one to understand its true
beauty, one must have the complete ensemble; the wrap by itself will look a
little odd.
"Come,
you must see what it is I do when I wrap," she said. "I must first find out a little about
the person, if they are married or single or what work they do. It is all important."
She
quickly demonstrated on her model, Phyllis Cumberbatch, who came to find an
outfit for a wedding ceremony. The Edo-Bridge
style would prove just right for the occasion.
During
my visit, customers came in and asked to be wrapped, which Ekwue does in a
matter of a few short minutes; a total of five heads were wrapped in less than
15 minutes.
When
Ekwue was through with everyone, the change in their demeanor was astounding.
Must
have had something to do with the company; after all, we were in the presence
of a Queen.
THE ART OF TYING
Trinidadians
are known for their head ties but an African style wrap is something else
altogether.
Tying
a head wrap using simple cotton cloth is easy; after a few tries, you should be
able to do it quickly without much trouble.
STEP 1: Stretch the head
wrap around the back of the head making sure that both sides are equal in
length.
STEP
2: Pull out
one of the sides across the top of the head.
STEP 3: Pull the other
side across the top of the head.
STEP 4: Bring the left
side of the head wrap around the back of the head to the right side of the
head.
STEP
5: Bring
the right side of the head wrap around the back of your head to the left side
of the head.
STEP
6: Fold the
two pieces of head wrap on the front of your head. Secure with bobby pins.
Don't
be afraid if it doesn't come together right for the first time. It takes a little while to get the hang of
it, but once you do, you'll be able to deck yourself out in all the latest head
wrap fashions.