In the South-Western part of Nigeria where I come from, the Predominant ‘tribe’ is the ‘Yoruba’. I am a Yoruba girl 
.We, Yorubas call the Head Wrap; ‘Gele’ (pronounced GAY-LAY).
This post was inspired by @yagokd who has taken a special interest in the ‘African Head Wrap’ and has asked me to organize a Virtual Meet-Up to teach Local Guides how to tie the ‘African Head Wrap’.
The first notion I must correct is that there is an ‘African Head Wrap’. Africans love to wrap their head, Yes! However, there are as many fabrics and ways of doing the ‘African Head Wrap’ as there are many countries and even more communities in the continent that isAfrica.
In my country; Nigeria, there are six geopolitical zones;
- North-Central,
- North-West,
- North-East,
- South-South,
- South-East and
- South-West.
Even in one Country (with six zones and 36 states) in Africa, there are as many styles and ways of doing this ‘head wrap’ as there are communities in these Zones. So, if someone tells me to tell them ‘how to do the African Head wrap’, they may leave me a little confused, as I would have to consider; ‘what is the ideal African Head Wrap?’
In the Yoruba Culture, the fabric used for tying the Gele is the Aso-Oke which is a hand-woven fabric. After weaving, It is made into a rectangular piece that is long enough to go round the head at least twice.
The Gele is such a big deal and it’s importance is revered in many folklore songs in the Yoruba tradition. An example of such songs is; Skentele Skontolo.
SKENTELE SKONTOLO
This song, by internationally acclaimed Nigerian musician; ‘Lagbaja’; Skentele Skontolo briefly highlights what the Gele is to the Yoruba people.
The song opens with;
Gele o dun! bi ka mo we,
Ka mo we,
Ko dabi Ko yeni. 
which roughly translates to;
"The beauty of the Gele cannot be appreciated if you do not know how to ‘tie it’, however, ‘knowing how to tie it’ cannot be compared to the Gele suiting you and making you look honorable. 
Yes! The Yorubas can be that petty!
Today, at least 90% of Nigerians call the Head Wrap Gele due to the advent of ‘Autogeles’; which are ‘ready to wear’ and ‘Gele Artists’; who specialize in ‘tying’ Gele.
For you to ‘slay’ at a party, your Gele needs to by ‘gayly laid’ atop your head 
.All thanks to the ‘Gele Artists’, who gather at parties to ‘tie the Gele for people’ and who make ‘Autogeles’, no one needs to suffer a wardrobe malfunction or mishap from ‘Gele gone wrong’ anymore. Now, everyone can have a Gele that suits them and makes them look honorable 
.
I remember attending a Yoruba traditional Wedding Ceremony in New-York, finding my friends at a loss of ‘how to tie the Gele’, I stepped in to save the day and tied Gele for close to six people before the end of the night.
ASO-OKE WEAVING- THE ART
The Aso-Oke fabric is woven in special workshops and by Profession craftsmen. I stepped out to my friend’s workshop (Aso-Oke Weaver) to take pictures for you. The weaver; Mr. Isaac Cobbler who is a Ghanaian was kind enough to quickly put together a demonstration for me even though he is not working for now due to the ‘lockdown’.
Here you go;
GELE STYLES
There are as many Gele styles as there are a group of 100 people gathered at a particular time. As with every fashion item, there is usually ‘a trending style’ at every moment. Next, I will be sharing Gele styles made from Aso-Oke.
These are some of the different styles of tying the Aso-Oke.
Other fabrics used for tying the Gele are;
- Ankara (traditional West African Fabric);
- The Velvet Turban;
- the ‘Sego fabric’. ‘Sego’ is actually a brand that makes this kind of Gele fabric. However, it has become a generic name. ‘Sego’ is imported from several countries of the world into Nigeria. You know, 'Nigeria is more of a ‘consumer’ country
However, our new President has been working on controlling importation especially of goods that can be locally sourced in Nigeria.
There is a special style of Gele that is made when the person is the Celebrant. Many people call this style; ‘Satellite Dish’
There, you have it!
ASSIGNMENT (PRE-MEETUP EXERCISE)
- Visit Youtube, search for ‘how to tie gele’, try to watch as many tutorials as you can get your hands on.
- Please select the kind of Gele you want to learn how to tie and a date for the Virtual Meet-Up
Where my Slay-Mamas at? Naija! If you are in the building and you have a Picture, a tip or a trick to share, please share in the comment section below.
It was my pleasure sharing this with you all.
as you were flaunting it. Let me tag my colleague to have a look to 
