Women everywhere complain about their hair and envy other women and other ethnic groups who are perceived to have been more generously blessed by nature. But some have more to complain about than others. In Ghana, one hears constant cries of anguish from young women wishing that they had long soft hair like Europeans, and if they were more familiar with their sisters in Vietnam their cries would only increase in intensity.

Ghana and Vietnam are two lower middle-income countries that are striding shoulder-to-shoulder towards a more affluent future. In crude macroeconomic terms they share a similar degree of wealth but in most other respects they are very different. The balance of advantage must lie in Ghana's favour, with its lower population density and newly-found oil reserves, but in the matter of hair, and women's hair in particular, Ghanaians would readily concede that they are not even in the same league.

Ghanaian women, in common with the women of most other African countries, fight a constant battle with nature, especially through their younger years. Their coarse hair, tightly curled against the scalp is said to pull on the roots and become uncomfortable if not regularly tended, and even combing the hair is very painful, often reducing young girls to tears. The traditional method of relief is by plaiting, and many styles exist, each with its own name such as: I'm sitting in the kitchen. The plaits are often extended with weave-on: synthetic fibres resembling human hair. This allows the women to enjoy long hair flowing over their shoulders and down the back but like all plaited hair styles it must be taken out and remade every few weeks and the whole process can take several hours.

Ghanaian women living in major cities, or those living in western countries, can have their hair permanently waved but the initial chemical treatment to soften and straighten the hair is unpleasant because it burns the scalp. No doubt advances in chemistry will solve this problem, but as every woman knows, permanent waving is far from permanent and needs periodic refurbishment. There is an Ashanti proverb: etiri ntea, ye nyae kye sowa, until the head is torn off we must carry (wear) a hat. One can guess that Ghanaian women feel the same about their hair.

Vietnamese women are blessed with long flowing black hair that all the world might envy. Nearly all young girls are allowed to grow their hair down to the waist, and sometimes beyond, and many adult women retain these long locks, even in some cases until they turn from black to white. Yet, even in Hanoi one can hear complaints. The hair must be washed every day or it feels uncomfortable, it takes a long time to dry and to comb, especially when a young daughter has to be got ready to go to school in the morning.

To avoid some of these problems many mature Vietnamese women have their hair cut to above the shoulder, and yes, a few resort to permanent waving. Some are even dissatisfied with their hair's lustrous black colour and have it dyed yellow or red. This is one trend that they do have in common with their Ghanaian sisters. No doubt in some of the world's cosmopolitan communities they will get together to share their grievances.

John Powell

John Powell weaves a tale of tension and intrigue into the lives and loves of the Mainu family and their friends, against the rich social, cultural, economic and political background of the first four decades of Ghana's independence, in his two novels: The Colonial Gentleman's Son and Return to the Garden City.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Colonial-Gentlemans-John-Powell/dp/184624496X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_y

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Garden-City-John-Powell/dp/184624949X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_y