Dolapo Is Fine- The struggle for a self accepted individuality

It was a rainy evening, when i decided to see if Netflix had uploaded any new films or programmes. I had just finished watching the award winning show Sons of Anarchy, a show about an all white biker gang in America. The show unravelled racial tensions, and heightened these tensions through the obstacles involving in criminal dealings. Whilst scrolling along the different programmes I came across Ethosheia Hylton's film Dolapo Is Fine. The cover image Netflix used for the film, conveyed a young black school girl with her natural afro hair, positioned in between two white girls with straight hair. I found the positioning of the two white school girls interesting, as not only were they slightly faded into the background, they both had their backs turned. This image suggested that the focus of the film primarily resided with the black school girl Dolapo, and possibly served to give importance to the the issue of natural afro hair. I could immediately relate to the character of Dolapo, played by Doyin Ajiboye, as throughout my early school years, growing up in a predominantly white environment and being educated in a predominanty white primary school; my hair inadvertently stood out. I remember wanting to shield my hair from the prying eyes of curious hands, who would seek to tug at my hair, and hide stationary items in it. It would soon become a recurring problem as i grew up and reached university, where students would compliment me on my hair, and then proceed to touch it at the same time.

Hylton's film depicts the Dolapo's internal struggle for an accepted individuality. Her close school friend Imogen, played by Katie Friedli Walton, frequently informs Dolapo of her admiration for her hair, to which Dolapo continuously shrugs off as silly comments. Although to the viewer of African/Caribbean descent, Imogen's comments are expressive of common encounters with curious people. It is only when Dolapo meets Daisy, a school outreach officer, who is eager to get more ethnic minority students into the financial sector, that Dolapo seriously begins to question her identity. Dolapo's inquisitive and self assured personality is silenced by Daisy's refusal to call Dolapo by her African name. Instead, Daisy bestows Dolapo with the Eurocentric name Dolly, in order to make her presence more comfortable for white colleagues. In this sense, not only is Dolapo's inner sense of self refuted, but more importantly so is her African heritage that should be an aid in Dolapo's expression. African heritage and identity is seen as a set back, and this notion serves as a constant theme in the film.

Odds are at play, and a tug of war ensues when Dolapo puts up a fight against Daisy's refusal to acknowledge Dolapo's presence. The struggle becomes even more dangerous when Dolapo's parents are overjoyed when she buys a Eurocentric style wig. Dolapo's mother insists that it was about time that Dolapo fixed her untidy hair. This scene in the film was the most uncomfortable to watch. Despite Daisy being the prime representation the self- repressive African, Dolapo's parents voicing their abandonment of African features showed how deep rooted the problem is. The scene raised questions about British African attitudes in British institutions. The grappling and loss of childhood innocence is depicted through the treatment of the afro. Will Dolapo keep her afro? Or will she give it up in favour of the long straight hair? Although I felt anger at Dolapo's parents, I could not help but feel disappointed in the reality of the mistreatment and prompting for ethnic minorities to conform in British institutions. The wig is ridiculed when it falls off Dolapo's head, as she is giving a speech in front of the whole school. Writers Joan Iyiola and Chibundu Onuzo suggest that the wig is unnatural, and serves as a hinderance that translates from the physical to the psychological.

The film reaches a satisfying conclusion when Dolapo defiantly attends her interview with her natural Afro. Daisy's belief that white colleagues will refuse to accept Dolapo are turned on its head, when the interviewer correctly pronounces Dolapo's name. The film ends with Dolapo entering the interview room, and for audiences, it leaves a hopeful notion that in some way the message of self acceptance can transcend the screen. The agency of afro hair suffers a tumultuous journey throughout the film, and its settlement at the end prompts one to review their own perception of themselves and their culture.