‘Nothing Wrong With Dreadlocks,’ Says Catholic Priest

A Catholic Priest, Fr. Kelvin Ugwu, has shared his thoughts on a trending picture of a priest with dreadlocks, which sparked discussion online.

Fr. Leandre Syrieix, whose picture first trended in 2020, was ordained with dreadlocks in Quebec, Canada.

According to Ugwu, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, there is nothing inherently wrong with dreadlocks.

He added that it is culture that has built most of the negative stories associated with it.

Ugwu’s comment follows a heated debate on the appearance of Nigerian gospel artist Akinade Ibuoye, better known as Gaise Baba, who has tinted hair.

Gaise Baba gained attention on and off social media following the remix of his song ‘No Turning Back’ with gospel singer Lawrence Oyor.

Ugwu noted that travelling and experiencing different cultures can help broaden some critics’ perspectives and challenge preconceived ideas.

“There is something that travelling does to you that you don’t often get in reading books or even in classrooms. Travelling helps you to experience different cultures and worldviews that will test some of your preconceived ideas.

“So many things will take time for us to unlearn, but I am sure with the internet, we are unlearning and learning so many things faster than we imagined,” he said.

Speaking more on how the culture has affected how dreadlock is seen, Ugwu said, “There are stories in our culture that believe that a child with natural dreadlocks is spiritually powerful and such a child brings wealth.

“Some other stories believe that having dreadlocks means you are meant to be in the shrine and not to be toiled with.

“My late grandmother stopped combing her hair at some point before she died, as such, her hair began to form dreads, and just because of that, people started seeing her as the chief witch in the village.

“ I remember rebuking my sisters for joining to believe that their grandmother was a witch because she had dreadlocks,” he said.

He mentioned that in some African countries like Senegal, Guinea, and Gambia, dreadlocks are a common sight among young people and aren’t given much interpretation.

“It is a common sight among young people in Senegal, Guinea and Gambia. Nobody is putting so much interpretation into it. It is just as normal as having an afro or a low-cut hairstyle.

“The popularising of dreadlocks by Jamaicans gave dreadlocks a different interpretation to mean someone who is either a Rastafarian or a gangster,” he said.

Ugwu stated that a mother once brought a child to him for prayers because she wanted to shave her child’s dada (dreads), adding that when he told her to go shave him herself, as she didn’t need any special prayers, it didn’t sit well with her.

“You know the belief is that to shave dreadlocks, a special ritual must be carried out by the chief priest, and the shaved hair will be kept safe; otherwise, the child will fall sick and die. She expected me to pray, pour holy water and anointing oil, then shave the hair and take it to the altar to show God. Funny!,” he said.

Speaking of priests with dreadlocks, Ugwu pointed out that the Catholic Church doesn’t have issues with dreadlocks; instead, it is cultural biases that may view dreadlocks unfavourably.

Ugwu stated that the fact that Fr. Syrieix could be ordained with dreadlocks shows that it’s not an impediment, and anyone can be ordained with dreadlocks anywhere.

“There is nothing inherently wrong with a priest or a Bishop having dreadlocks. It is our culture that has a problem with it. And because priests are not formed in isolation of a given culture, that is why you may not see a priest with dread in Nigeria. It is not the Catholic Church you blame, in fact, you appreciate the Catholic Church for being sensitive to the culture and worldview of a given people in a given place.

“Interestingly, since the ordination of Fr Leandre Syrieix in Limoilou, Quebec, in a diocese called Saint-François-de-Laval in 2020, it is Africans who are talking about his dreadlocks the most. It goes on to prove one thing: Africans are yet to get off the stereotypical views they have of people wearing dreads. It is not about the Catholic Church.

“The fact that he can be ordained with dreadlocks means that it is not an impediment, and as such, anyone can be ordained with dreadlocks anywhere.#PurestPurity,” he posted.

‘Nothing Wrong With Dreadlocks,’ Says Catholic Priest is first published on The Whistler Newspaper