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Pablo Muñoz, Laura Romero and Edna Liliana Valencia in conversation

Can I touch your hair?

Cartagena 2026, 

A question that may seem to be an innocent one conceals a history of exoticisation and resistance. For many people of African heritage, hair is much more than a part of the body, it is identity, memory and pride. The long essay ¿Te puedo tocar el pelo? De la negación al exotismo: Experiencias en torno al pelo afro explores the relationship between hair, self-esteem and history, looking at the historical value of hair in African and Afro-descendent societies. A conversation with Pablo Muñoz, Laura Romero and Edna Liliana Valencia. Because hair is also an anti-colonial political struggle.