"Beauty and greatness do not belong to the gods alone."

Beads have a rich history of being worn for both beauty and to symbolize
messages of status, age group and more to the larger community in one
glance–– without speaking a word. At the heart of adornment in Africa,
whether for children or adults, was the threading of delicate cowrie
shells, large etched wooden tubes, shimmering cutout metallic strands
and everything in between. In a less nuanced context, for special
occasions, Thandiwe’s mother would string plastic neon beads into the
lengths of Thandiwe’s childhood hairstyle. Any little Nairobi girl's coiffure
became extra special, extra good looking with beads in her hair, and
Thandiwe was no different.
Beads have surged back into fashion as the younger generations
rediscover them from their traditional roots. Within the trendy circles of
African cities, many women and men are incorporating them into their
chic hairstyles. Camo 2.0 4415 celebrates this with the vibrant
nonchalance and strings of dotted delight from the subject’s face.
Thandiwe’s’ homage to the beauty of beadwork won the British Journal
of Photography’s Female in Focus Single Image Award of 2021.