This interview aired in the December 4, 2024 episode of Crosscurrents.
Click the play button above to listen!
The hit play “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” is taking Berkeley Rep audiences to a salon in Harlem. The five-time Tony nominated Broadway play tells the stories of African women who braid hair for a living. The show uses drama and humor to explore their lives as immigrant women.
But it’s the hairstyles that steal the show. Actress and singer Awa Sal Secka is a first-generation Gambian-American. She plays Bea, one of the braiders. In this interview she talks about the comedy and complexities of the play, and the significance of hair and community.
This interview was co-produced by Porfirio Rangel
